Reclaiming the Greydelve

[Majestic]

Other games and an inability to gather my regular players has meant that we've only played TOR once in the last six months. So a single session three months ago, and then we'll finally fire up the game again tomorrow night.

I've decided I'd like to play through some of the 'retaking of the Greydelve', rather than just handwave it and narratively explain what happened for nearly two years of game-time, being as all of the main PCs decided to aid Frár in his quest to re-take the old Dwarven fortress.

Getting great inspiration from the awesome "Loremaster's Guide to Mythic Battles" by James R. Brown and Eluadin, I've decided to play some of the mass combat out. If you haven't gotten a chance to read through this fine document, I highly recommend it (I downloaded it long ago, but just now have read through it in preparation for this session). It gives great advice and recommendations for using the spirit and essence of the core rules to fashion larger, more epic, grand-scale skirmishes.

A few questions I'd love to have input on:

1) I'm trying to decide how many combatants (roughly) should be on each side of the battle? My initial thought is to have a few hundred (up to maybe a thousand?) of the Free Peoples, mostly Dwarves and Men. And then perhaps 1.5 to 2 times that total for the enemy (mostly goblins and trolls, perhaps with a few wolves and hobgoblins)?

Darkening tells us "Frár visits Dale, Lake-town, the Halls of the Elvenking, the Beornings and the land of the Woodmen. In each place, he calls for warriors and adventurers to join him. Those that join the fight will be paid in Dragon-gold and Dwarf-steel. He successfully hires many mercenaries in Lake-town..."

2) A few of my players have been unlucky with gaining cool magical gear, while one other player has collected numerous things. Our Mirkwood Elf Falandor has accumulated a piece of Famous Armour (an Elvish buckler), a Wondrous Artifact (magical ring), and a Famous Weapon (Elvish sword), but two of my other regulars have acquired very little. Rather than waiting and hoping for a lucky roll when they come across a hoard, I thought I would use this opportunity to reward them not only with some well-earned wealth (Treasure), but also have the Dwarves reward them (after many months of fighting) with something appropriate in the way of gear. It does say "Those that join the fight will be paid in Dragon-gold and Dwarf-steel".

My PCs have, for the most part, pursued story objectives and resisted the lure to be loot-gathering murder hobos, so giving them some cool Dwarvish gifts seems apropos. The question is, what?

Right now I'm leaning towards Famous Armour, perhaps both of Cunning Make and Close-fitting. I'm tempted to add in a lesser form of the Dwarf-wrought Hauberk Reward, like adding one's Body as a bonus to Protection tests.

Thoughts?

Any other ideas or recommendations for running the Reclaiming of the Greydelve?

[Glorelendil]

The one thing I'd advise about reclaiming the Greydelve is to use the Hobbit as your creative inspiration: yes, it concluded with a great big battle but that was only a few pages of the story.

I'd try to come up with a great story that would still be a great story even if the heroes missed the battle at the end.

[Majestic]

I'd originally considered just breezing over it, and I don't want it to be a huge battle. But being as it takes nearly two years (straight out of the text) of the campaign and all four of my main PCs wanted to commit to helping, I figured I could make it at least a fun battle, but more of a larger-scale army one (as opposed to the more personal ones we're used to).

I hadn't looked at Erebor yet, but I'm seeing there's all sorts of goodness there. Both stuff about Grey Mountains Dwarves and new Dwarven Weapons, Armour, and Treasures. Nice!

[zedturtle]

I think Glor is right... it needs to be more than just the big battle, otherwise it might not feel very Middle-earthy.

How about various scenarios, perhaps linked together in some sort of order?

For example, the heroes sign up with Frár and go forth to reclaim the Greydelve. The adventuring phase opens in media res with the heroes ambushed by goblins in a tunnel. The goblins have cut off another group, and must be defeated in short order, or they will never see the Men alive again.

If the heroes fail to break the goblin line (a likely result), then the Men of that company (perhaps from all of them are from Edric's Town) wish to leave... the costs have been too high and the rewards too few. Frár begs the heroes to intercede on his behalf and convince them to stay.... Encounter time.

If the heroes succeed, then word of their success travels far and wide. Soon, more bands of dwarves show up. Hearty fighters, they're not well prepared for the campaign and food supplies and game dwindle as the weeks continue to go by. Frár asks the heroes to acquire new supplies. A Journey, but to where? Galford? Strandburg? Orlmond? Or the other way... to the North Ford and Viglund's lands? Lots of choices... I'd emphasize the choices and the Journey, Frár gives the heroes sufficient coinage that the acquiring of supplies is automatic.

Weeks pass. Frár again asks the heroes to help him. Rumours abound of a secret entrance on the North face of the mountain, but he can't send a whole company of Men and all his Dwarves are too busy holding the ground they've already gained. Can the heroes look into it?

So a little bit of a Journey, a bit of an investigation scene. The heroes find the door, but there's a riddle of some sort.

Within the heroes find a cache of treasure, and armour appropriate for our other heroes. Perhaps a weapon too, or something else. And a bit of Treasure, and maybe some records that Frár might be able to use. Unfortunately, there's been a cave-in and you can't get into the main complex from here... explaining why this chamber remained unlooted.

On the way back, the company is accosted by Men that had seen the heroes leave the camp earlier. They accuse the heroes of being in league with Frár and hiding (or hoarding) gold and other rewards. Either a tense Encounter or an ugly Combat.

Then, with loyalties questioned, launch into the big battle.

[Majestic]

Great ideas, zed. Thanks for all the wonderful help!

Glor, now that I see some other ideas expanded upon, I see what you mean. In addition to some of these that zedturtle has mentioned, I also want to incorporate the part mentioned in that short segment of Darkening, where some of the cutthroats and sell-swords turn on Frár and the heroes defend him (my players already said they would back him).

I don't know how much extra stuff I can do tomorrow, as one of my players has a chemo treatment before and will be arriving late, but perhaps I'll do some of this before he arrives.

Over the years we've done tons of Journeys and Encounters; just about every session, in fact. But I think it will be good to spice up the battle with some other events. Plus there's no way they're going to be in the same location for nearly two years. Like any involved war story (Band of Brothers comes to mind), there's that other stuff (negotiations, travel, etc.) like you say. One part that will be somewhat odd will be the long period of time we're covering. Even if the PCs were exhausted and Weary by the time they finish a Journey (not likely anymore, as they rarely fail Fatigue rolls anymore), so much time passes that it's not likely it would affect them for the big battle.

I'm really looking forward to trying out the mass combat rules, but I'll try to mix in some other stuff as well, to make sure it doesn't just feel like a board game and tactical exercise.

Thanks again, fellas!

[Finrod Felagund]

1) 1000 combatants per side maximum seems about right.

2) How about giving them a 'famous weapon' each? Might be more fun than a bit of armour. The weapon could be appropriate to each person.

A source of inspiration for the story might be the War of Dwarves and Orcs where Prof T talks about conflict and dark deeds committed far underground.

A further point is that it all depends upon how much time your group has. Obviously one can't look too closely at the real world, but you could understand that logistics might be an issue and the Dwarves can't afford a long siege - so if you are short of time its the role of the group to find a quick solution to the siege such as a hidden entrance that enables them to sneak in and open the main gate Trojan horse stylee, which then allows the whole army to charge in and the battle to begin...

[Majestic]

Good ideas, Finrod. In fact, last night I spent a number of hours working up Famous Weapons for the three characters that don't have them (one was one from Erebor). I think with the armour it will just be mostly for the battle; I doubt many of the PCs will keep it for when they're traveling, as even with reduced Encumbrance it will still be heavy and uncomfortable. Good call on weapons over armour.

[Majestic]

Here's what I've got so far. Originally, I'd written this for my summary (the part we're now going to go back and actually play out):

The four heroes join many warriors, sell-swords, and mercenaries, mostly men from Dale and Lake-town, and for two years they face pitched battles in the shadows of the Grey Mountains. After clearing the once-proud citadel above, and defeating countless Orcs and Trolls in the iron mines below it, the Free Peoples root out the last of the Orcs from the deepest dungeons. The companions learn that many of the mercenaries plan to murder Frár once the fight is finished, intent on recovering some supposed vast treasure. They put an end to the potential coup with minimal bloodshed, and are rewarded for their loyal service by now Lord Frár with Dragon-gold and Dwarf-steel.

Here's what we know about the situation from Darkening (warning: spoilers from Darkening of Mirkwood!):

GATHERING AN ARMY
In the months to follow, Frár visits Dale, Lake-town, the Halls of the Elvenking, the Beornings and the land of the Woodmen. In each place, he calls for warriors and adventurers to join him. Those that join the fight will be paid in Dragon-gold and Dwarf-steel. He successfully hires many mercenaries in Lake-town, but needs more warriors.

RECLAIMING THE GREYDELVE
The campaign to reclaim the Greydelve takes many months. Most of those who take part in it will not return until late autumn in 2966. The Dwarf-hold was once a proud citadel atop an iron mine, but the Orcs took it long ago. Now Orcs and Trolls live in the darkness below.

If the companions join Frár’s army, then they face pitched battles in the shadow of the Grey Mountains, followed by dungeon crawling through the dark mines as they seek out the last of the Orcs. While Frár is victorious at first, the bigger danger lies behind him. Many of the mercenaries believe that the Greydelve conceals some vast treasure, and once the battle is won, they plot to murder Frár.

And now here are my notes (with a huge thanks to zedturtle, who came up with most of this!). I've left a lot of the details out of the main fight, hoping that the PCs can come up with, for instance, the Command Obejtives on their own, after we've done the first Assault Wave.


The heroes agree to help Frár go forth to reclaim the Greydelve.

The adventuring phase opens in media res (after about a month of spying, reconnaissance, and fighting) with the heroes ambushed first by Great Bats, then by Hobgoblins in a tunnel (6 adversaries for the 4 heroes). The Hobgoblins have cut off another group of mercenaries, and must be defeated in short order (3 turns after the Hobgoblins arrive), or they will never see the Men alive again.

If the heroes fail to break the hobgoblin line, then the mercenary Men of that company wish to leave... the costs have been too high and the rewards too few. Frár begs the heroes to intercede on his behalf and convince them to stay.... Encounter time. The leader of the Men, Ontoral, values Valour over Wisdom.

If the heroes succeed, then word of their success travels far and wide. Soon, more bands of Dwarves show up. Hearty fighters, they're not well prepared for the campaign and food supplies and game dwindle as the weeks continue to go by. Frár asks for help in acquiring new supplies or hunting game (opportunity for a Journey or Hunting).

Weeks pass, with many pitched battles in the shadow of the Grey Mountains. Frár again asks the heroes to help him. Rumours abound of a secret entrance on the north face of the mountain, but he can't send a whole company of Men and all his Dwarves are too busy holding the ground they've already gained. Can the heroes look into it?

So a little bit of a Journey, and a bit of an investigation scene. The heroes find the door, but there's a riddle: "A burning flame for a true heart, cold water for strong bones" inscribed upon it. A successful Riddle test indicates that it is describing the forging process and the door must be first warmed and then cooled for the mechanism to activate.

Within the heroes find a cache of treasure (200 Treasure), armour that can be fashioned to help them (and others) in further battles, and some records that aid Frár in future planning. Unfortunately, there's been a cave-in and they can't get into the main complex from here... explaining why this chamber remained unlooted.

Dwarven Armour (Cunning Make x3)
Mail Hauberk
Encumbrance 14
5d protection
When you spend Hope on a Protection test, you also get a bonus equal to your Valour

After they have battled many Orcs and Wolves for a few months, the heroes are called to Frár, who presents them with many great gifts, as a token of his people’s thanks for all that they have done, putting their lives on the line to help them.

Me’lereal: Elven spear Silmë Nasta
Ardorwyn: Dwarven longsword Angrenithil
Idril: Elven great spear Aica Lindë
Falandor: Ruby with a mithril chain (with Dwarven runes), 120 Treasure, from Khazad-dûm, rumoured to have once belonged to Durin

Afterwards, they move on to the Main Battle, using Narrative Mode.

Objective: Retake the Greydelve, a proud citadel atop an iron mine; the Dwarf-hold lies hidden in a box canyon in the foothills of the Grey Mountains

Commander: Frár (unless one of the PCs steps forward to assist)

600 Free Peoples / 900 Enemy (the Shadow significantly outnumbers the Free Peoples)
Assault Waves are per day
Shadow Threat Table: Average Enemy Attribute: 5 (3 Endurance tests per Assault Wave)
Engagement Mood: Wary and Elusive (2 Endurance lost per test)

Command Objectives:
• Take out perimeter patrols
• Break down a section of the outer wall
• Penetrate the outer forces and engage the enemy inside the fortress

Major Objective: Kill the enemy commander

Later, a successful Insight roll will indicate that there is dissatisfaction with Frár; a great success allows them to understand the reason (many believe that some vast treasure remains hidden in the Greydelve) and an extraordinary success will reveal that they plan to murder the Dwarf.

This could lead to an attempt to turn the men back to their side with Persuade, or might end up being a fight.

[Scrollreader]

I'd throw in something ancient and Evil, and unexpected by the 'back door' and the treasure hoard. Something like the Lurker in the Narrow Canyon (Ruins of the North), the Watcher in the Water, or The Thing in the Well. Something older than men, or maybe even elves.
It has the benefit of being very thematic (old dwarf ruins, delved too deep, etc), and a bit of a surprise for the PCs (as it is more and different than just a bunch of orcs, and a troll or two). It also provides a good reason why the back door is collapsed (maybe), and the treasure hoard is untouched (definitely).

[zedturtle]

I'd throw in something ancient and Evil, and unexpected by the 'back door' and the treasure hoard. Something like the Lurker in the Narrow Canyon (Ruins of the North), the Watcher in the Water, or The Thing in the Well. Something older than men, or maybe even elves.
It has the benefit of being very thematic (old dwarf ruins, delved too deep, etc), and a bit of a surprise for the PCs (as it is more and different than just a bunch of orcs, and a troll or two). It also provides a good reason why the back door is collapsed (maybe), and the treasure hoard is untouched (definitely).

That's definitely worth consideration. One-off oddball monsters are fine, as long as they fit into the story.