Lord of the Rings: Naught but Ashes [OOC/Open/LOTR RP]

[G-Tech Corporation]

What I mean is that your original app with the 19k force figure included the remnants of Dale/Erebor/etc, as you have them in your race descriptions. If another player then took 3k soldiers as the remnant of Dale, it would make sense if the force figure was decreased by that amount, as they now no longer feature in Lorien as a faction.

I didn't think Dale would make up that significant a proportion of my forces and I didn't know someone would app for Dale remnants.

Hmm, I see. So it's 7k Orcs, and remnants of Gondor/Rohan/Woodsmen.

[G-Tech Corporation]

For some reason, the colors muted a bit, but oh well:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8jmortgh6ahqk21/Middle-Earth%20Map.jpg?dl=0

I only see two real problems with this map from my perspective;

1) Mount Gram and the nearby Ettenmoors aren't under Mordor's rule.

2) The siege lines of Mordor are unrealistically far from Mordor; there's no reason that the Elves would have been able to hold Mordor back from the eaves of the woods proper, so drawing the Mordor-controlled line far to the south and north doesn't make much sense. I mean, the Limlight is at least half a days march from Lothlorien, and I doubt the Elves could have held there.

[Lunas Legion]

I didn't think Dale would make up that significant a proportion of my forces and I didn't know someone would app for Dale remnants.

Hmm, I see. So it's 7k Orcs, and remnants of Gondor/Rohan/Woodsmen.

You meant Elves instead of Orcs, I presume? If so, yup.

[G-Tech Corporation]

Hmm, I see. So it's 7k Orcs, and remnants of Gondor/Rohan/Woodsmen.

You meant Elves instead of Orcs, I presume? If so, yup.

Heh, yes. I mean, I'd settle for the defenders of Lorien meaning Orcs, because then I'd only have to subvert them for victory.

Buttttt that might be a touch unrealistic.

[Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States]

Hurrah for the forces of Good! All is saved! Gimli entered the fight! Expect victory in a month or so.

[The black lands of Mordor]

Sorry I did not post today.

[Lunas Legion]

You meant Elves instead of Orcs, I presume? If so, yup.

Heh, yes. I mean, I'd settle for the defenders of Lorien meaning Orcs, because then I'd only have to subvert them for victory.

Buttttt that might be a touch unrealistic.

Yeah. I am rather pessimistic on the survival of Lórien however, since I don't really have any way I can extract myself from my current position without exposing my rear or flanks to enemy forces.

[G-Tech Corporation]

Heh, yes. I mean, I'd settle for the defenders of Lorien meaning Orcs, because then I'd only have to subvert them for victory.

Buttttt that might be a touch unrealistic.

Yeah. I am rather pessimistic on the survival of Lórien however, since I don't really have any way I can extract myself from my current position without exposing my rear or flanks to enemy forces.

Man invented the concept of the rearguard for several reasons. You could probably punch through the High Pass if you so wished, given your forces and those of Imladris coordinated, and then evac that route.

Of course, every bit of land given up to Sauron is one more mile the Fellowship will have to walk through enemy-controlled territory.

[Lunas Legion]

Yeah. I am rather pessimistic on the survival of Lórien however, since I don't really have any way I can extract myself from my current position without exposing my rear or flanks to enemy forces.

Man invented the concept of the rearguard for several reasons. You could probably punch through the High Pass if you so wished, given your forces and those of Imladris coordinated, and then evac that route.

Of course, every bit of land given up to Sauron is one more mile the Fellowship will have to walk through enemy-controlled territory.

It's impossible for us to properly coordinate since we don't have Palantirs and I'm unsure whether the 'thought speech' thing Tolkein mentions once (IIRC) is usable or not since we know very little about it.

Edit: I also just thought of a better but much riskier extraction plan which could backfire super-badly but if it works then I'm home free.

[G-Tech Corporation]

Man invented the concept of the rearguard for several reasons. You could probably punch through the High Pass if you so wished, given your forces and those of Imladris coordinated, and then evac that route.

Of course, every bit of land given up to Sauron is one more mile the Fellowship will have to walk through enemy-controlled territory.

It's impossible for us to properly coordinate since we don't have Palantirs and I'm unsure whether the 'thought speech' thing Tolkein mentions once (IIRC) is usable or not since we know very little about it.

Edit: I also just thought of a better but much riskier extraction plan which could backfire super-badly but if it works then I'm home free.

If in doubt, send in the Eagles as messengers. They might get shot down, but that's unlikely.

Or you could try airlifting the population to safety.

[Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States]

Yeah. I am rather pessimistic on the survival of Lórien however, since I don't really have any way I can extract myself from my current position without exposing my rear or flanks to enemy forces.

Man invented the concept of the rearguard for several reasons. You could probably punch through the High Pass if you so wished, given your forces and those of Imladris coordinated, and then evac that route.

Of course, every bit of land given up to Sauron is one more mile the Fellowship will have to walk through enemy-controlled territory.

The hardest part for the fellowship will be punching a hole through your front lines in one way or another. Lands controlled by you are still dangerous, but the biggest danger lies in those areas close to the front. The closer we come to danger, the further we are from harm. It's the last thing you will expect.

Also, for Lórien, do not dispair. The woods of your home are death traps to any Orc invader. Elves move unseen through the canopy, able to unleash deadly attacks that destroy entire regiments before vanishing into nothingness. Lothlórien is a killing zone for Yrch. Now, I have no doubt G-Tech is currently thinking of thousands of creative ways to deal with this, but hold hope in this truth.

[Delsola]

For some reason, the colors muted a bit, but oh well:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8jmortgh6ahqk21/Middle-Earth%20Map.jpg?dl=0

I only see two real problems with this map from my perspective;

1) Mount Gram and the nearby Ettenmoors aren't under Mordor's rule.

2) The siege lines of Mordor are unrealistically far from Mordor; there's no reason that the Elves would have been able to hold Mordor back from the eaves of the woods proper, so drawing the Mordor-controlled line far to the south and north doesn't make much sense. I mean, the Limlight is at least half a days march from Lothlorien, and I doubt the Elves could have held there.

I'd also have split the Mordor areas of the map into zones of control, i.e the Mouth's armies, the Witch King's armies etc. but that's just a personal preference.

[Lunas Legion]

Man invented the concept of the rearguard for several reasons. You could probably punch through the High Pass if you so wished, given your forces and those of Imladris coordinated, and then evac that route.

Of course, every bit of land given up to Sauron is one more mile the Fellowship will have to walk through enemy-controlled territory.

The hardest part for the fellowship will be punching a hole through your front lines in one way or another. Lands controlled by you are still dangerous, but the biggest danger lies in those areas close to the front. The closer we come to danger, the further we are from harm. It's the last thing you will expect.

Also, for Lórien, do not dispair. The woods of your home are death traps to any Orc invader. Elves move unseen through the canopy, able to unleash deadly attacks that destroy entire regiments before vanishing into nothingness. Lothlórien is a killing zone for Yrch. Now, I have no doubt G-Tech is currently thinking of thousands of creative ways to deal with this, but hold hope in this truth.

There's one big burny way to deal with the problem of forests.

But I do have that (according to the wiki at least) nothing short of Sauron himself could breach Lorien's defences when Galadriel is using her Ring to bolster them. Wearing her and the Ring down is another matter however.

[Escalan Corps-Star Island]

The hardest part for the fellowship will be punching a hole through your front lines in one way or another. Lands controlled by you are still dangerous, but the biggest danger lies in those areas close to the front. The closer we come to danger, the further we are from harm. It's the last thing you will expect.

Also, for Lórien, do not dispair. The woods of your home are death traps to any Orc invader. Elves move unseen through the canopy, able to unleash deadly attacks that destroy entire regiments before vanishing into nothingness. Lothlórien is a killing zone for Yrch. Now, I have no doubt G-Tech is currently thinking of thousands of creative ways to deal with this, but hold hope in this truth.

There's one big burny way to deal with the problem of forests.

But I do have that (according to the wiki at least) nothing short of Sauron himself could breach Lorien's defences when Galadriel is using her Ring to bolster them. Wearing her and the Ring down is another matter however.

There are also the Wizards, which is always good.

[Great Confederacy of Commonwealth States]

The hardest part for the fellowship will be punching a hole through your front lines in one way or another. Lands controlled by you are still dangerous, but the biggest danger lies in those areas close to the front. The closer we come to danger, the further we are from harm. It's the last thing you will expect.

Also, for Lórien, do not dispair. The woods of your home are death traps to any Orc invader. Elves move unseen through the canopy, able to unleash deadly attacks that destroy entire regiments before vanishing into nothingness. Lothlórien is a killing zone for Yrch. Now, I have no doubt G-Tech is currently thinking of thousands of creative ways to deal with this, but hold hope in this truth.

There's one big burny way to deal with the problem of forests.

But I do have that (according to the wiki at least) nothing short of Sauron himself could breach Lorien's defences when Galadriel is using her Ring to bolster them. Wearing her and the Ring down is another matter however.

As long as she can keep her defences up, the Fellowship has a shot. It is paramount that Sauron does not discover the involvement of the ring. He knows the Ring was once in Rivendell, but I don't think there have been reporte sightings since, so Sauron can easily guess where it went. That was his first guess, after all. So, as long as Galadriel keeps up a good fight, and we all pretend the Ring is still in Valinor, all is possible.

[Osnil]

Is mine supposed to be the Dark Green area?

[The Starlight]

Is mine supposed to be the Dark Green area?

No, the light green.

[Ontorisa]

G-Tech, you see that giant plot of land north of Mordor's home territory? The one with Rhun to the right and the striped black and purple thing to the North-West?

That's where all of those Orc Tribes are from.

[G-Tech Corporation]

G-Tech, you see that giant plot of land north of Mordor's home territory? The one with Rhun to the right and the striped black and purple thing to the North-West?

That's where all of those Orc Tribes are from.

You mean, the Brown Lands and the Gasping Dust.

In case I forget;

Hmm, north of the Black Gate is the Brown Lands and the Gasping Dust; to my knowledge nobody lived there prior to Sauron's settlement during the War of the Ring. I suppose there could have been Orcs there, though it does seem a bit far-fetched that they were so close to Mordor and not under the Dark Lord's sway.

[G-Tech Corporation]

The hardest part for the fellowship will be punching a hole through your front lines in one way or another. Lands controlled by you are still dangerous, but the biggest danger lies in those areas close to the front. The closer we come to danger, the further we are from harm. It's the last thing you will expect.

Also, for Lórien, do not dispair. The woods of your home are death traps to any Orc invader. Elves move unseen through the canopy, able to unleash deadly attacks that destroy entire regiments before vanishing into nothingness. Lothlórien is a killing zone for Yrch. Now, I have no doubt G-Tech is currently thinking of thousands of creative ways to deal with this, but hold hope in this truth.

There's one big burny way to deal with the problem of forests.

But I do have that (according to the wiki at least) nothing short of Sauron himself could breach Lorien's defences when Galadriel is using her Ring to bolster them. Wearing her and the Ring down is another matter however.

Time will tell. Time will tell.

[Bearon]

Just read the OOC. Make an app Star? You a funny man.

Edit: I'll try to get it in after my paper.

[Osnil]

Is mine supposed to be the Dark Green area?

No, the light green.

Thanks!

[Delsola]

So this thread grabbed my attention since I adore the forces of evil in LotR, but apparently Saruman has been promoted to King of Nowhere and every other villain is blindly loyal to the Dark Lord, not to mention taken...

So I've come up with two interesting scenarios.

In the North, beyond the Barrow-downs in the lands once known as Angmar, evil scattered for one thousand years has begun to re-emerge. Sauron has sent lieutenants to Carn Dûm, former seat to the Witch-King's vast army during his war on Arnor, to rally the northern Orcs, Wild-men, and other evil peoples prepared to bow to the Dark Lord, in order to open an new front with the Free Peoples. But an unexpected crisis has shocked the upstart realm, as ancient evils, dating back to the time of Morgoth, have crossed into Angmar from the frozen lands of Forodwaith, claiming to have fled the destruction of Angband in the First Age. Amongst them are the descendants of Draugluin and the lady Thuringwethil, the Werewolves and the Vampires, as well as their host of 'snow-orcs', who lived in the cold North since the destruction of their ancient master in the First Age. Compelled now to travel South, these outsiders comprise a volatile faction in the Legions of Angmar, the Dark Lord unsure of whether to trust his new-found allies.

Or, alternately...

The fall from grace of Saruman of Many Colours, most powerful of the Istari, came quickly and suddenly. The destruction of Helms Deep, the scouring of Rohan, the continued loyalty of the Dunlendings and the rapid growth of Isengard's military capacity under Saruman's watchful eye promised a glorious future for the Army of the White Hand. However, Sauron could never be sure of the loyalty Saruman, the same wizard who had already turned on the Free Peoples and possessed power significant enough to tip the scales in Sauron's continued conflict. Sent South as an envoy to Harad, Saruman was made a bit-player and had his position as Lord of Orthanc filled by his main political rival for Sauron's favour, the Witch-King of Angmar. The Uruk-Hai legions bred along the Isen were transferred to various legions under the Witch-Kings umbrella of control. However, the armies bred by Saruman had become not only an efficient fighting force, but had quickly forged an identity for themselves. Bred stronger and more intelligent than the lowly Orcs and Goblins of Mordor and Moria, the Uruk-Hai were not as inclined to bow to the Dark Lord out of blind fear as their lesser cousins did. Whilst most of Isengard's legions did not care for whom they served, provided man-flesh was provided at the end of the day, the Uruk-Hai Lurtz, Saruman's former second-in-command and field commander of Isengard's vast armies, found issue with the rule of the Witch-King. The Ringwraith very quickly replaced the Uruk-Hai commanding caste with other Nazgûl, further disenchanting the first and most intelligent of the Isengard Uruk-Hai. Soon the Ringwraiths allowed their attention to move on from the glories of Rohan's conquest and marched their armies onwards, in aid of the Dark Lord Sauron's continued war effort. But Lurtz did not accompany them. Instead he led the Uruk-Hai Scouts, formerly Saruman's elite front-line infantry, along with any who would follow him, South into the land of Gondor. Carrying the Mark of the White Hand, Lurtz and the Scouts seek out their true master, Saruman, and will not stop their long march until the wizard that gave them life is restored to glory.

So which of these is the more interesting idea?

[Ontorisa]

How about we just go with the flow?

[G-Tech Corporation]

I like the Uruks idea; it makes sense to me, and it would be interesting to have Uruks passing through the land, and RP the differences in Harad and the current situation of Saruman.