The Battle of Five Armies (1984)

The Battle of Five Armies (1984) Rulebook

Table of Contents

Contents of the Game
The Basic Game
The Standard Game
Optional Rules
"...And So the Story Ended"
Author's Notes
Tables

Contents of the Game

The Battle of Five Armies contains the following components: a coloured game board, a rule booklet, a sheet of tables, 156 square cardboard counters and a 20-sided die.

The Game Board

The board shows the area in which the Battle of Five Armies is fought. On the board there is also a legend that lists all terrain types that are not named on the map itself. Over the board a grid of hexagons is laid, which serve as spaces for the movement of the game counters.

The Table Sheet

This sheet contains all tables needed for movement and combat. It is used quite often during the game.

The Counters

The Battle of Five Armies (BoFA) also contains a set of square game pieces, called counters or units. Most counters represent the numerous military units and leaders in this battle. Other counters are used to record losses and the progress of the game.

The Basic Game

B-1 Definitions

LEADER / CHARACTER COUNTERS: Counters representing the numerous commanders and beings who take part in the fight. (See also: special characters.)

ATTACK: Combat between two units that are in adjacent hexes.

COMMANDING PLAYER: The player who commands the units of the corresponding counters.

FRIENDLY: Used to describe units that fight on the same side.

MOVEMENT VALUE: The number at the bottom right of each counter, used to calculate movement.

ARCHERY VALUE (BOW VALUE): On the archer counters there are values in parentheses that indicate the range and the strength of archery fire.

CHIPS: Game counters used to determine the course of the game. The chips are drawn from a cup.

CHIP MIX: The mixture of chips in a cup.

DARK PLAYER: The player who commands the goblins, wolves and wargs.

HEX OR AREA: One of the areas of the hexagon grid, used for moving and placing counters.

HEXSIDE: One of the 6 sides of a hex, or the line that separates the hexes. The river, for example, follows hexsides.

TERRAIN TABLE: The table that gives the effects of terrain on combat and movement.

SLOPE LINE: Straight lines running downhill on hills and mountains, showing the direction in which rocks slide and roll.

COMBAT STRENGTH: The number at the bottom left of each counter, used both as combat value and as morale value.

COMBAT COUNTERS: Counters that represent military units, as opposed to the leader / character counters.

COMBAT TABLE: The table in which the results of a combat or skirmish are looked up.

CONTROL AREA (ZONE OF CONTROL): An area in which a counter has a certain influence. In this game a unit has influence only over the hex it is currently in.

COUNTERS: Cardboard pieces that represent the different units, leaders and characters. They are also called units.

SECOND-WAVE COUNTER: An additional counter that is brought into play in a skirmish.

PHASES: The different sections, depending on the chips drawn, that are run through during the turn (round). In this game these are the MOVEMENT PHASE, COMBAT PHASE, FIRE PHASE and F/C (FIRE / COMBAT PHASE).

PHASE PLAYER: The player who is acting in the phase currently being played.

TURN TRACK (ROUND INDICATOR): The spaces at the side of the board used to show the current turn. The marker that shows the current turn is moved down during the game. The turns in which reinforcements arrive are also marked there.

SKIRMISH: Combat between enemy units in the same hex.

FIRE TABLE: The table in which results of archery fire are looked up.

BLACK TURN: A turn marked on the turn marker with black spaces. All odd turns are black turns.

FULL-STRENGTH SIDE: The side of a counter that shows the full starting values.

HALF-STRENGTH SIDE: The side of a counter that shows the values of a counter after it has already taken losses. On the half-strength side a black or white line is visible along the lower edge of the counter. It is also called the reduced side.

FREE PEOPLES PLAYER: The player who commands the Men, Elves, Dwarves and Giant Eagles.

TAKING A HIT: Also called taking damage or losing a step. A designation meaning that a unit with 2 steps loses 1 step and is turned over to its half-strength side. If a counter with 2 steps is already on its half-strength side, it is removed from the game.

WEAPON TYPE: The weapon symbols printed on the counters show the weapon type of the unit, or the predominant weapon type.

WHITE TURN: A turn marked on the turn marker with white spaces. All even turns are white turns.

ROLL: Unless described otherwise, a roll in this game is a roll of the 20-sided die (on which all the numbers 1-10 appear twice). Only a result of 1-10 can therefore be rolled, the 0 counting as 10.

Races and Places

ELVES: A race of tall, slender beings with a splendid culture, and cruel in their hatred of goblins.

EREBOR: The Lonely Mountain.

GOBLINS (ORCS): A race of treacherous creatures (a mockery of the Elves) twisted and corrupted by Morgoth during the First Age.

HOBBITS: A very small people. At 60-120 cm they are much smaller than dwarves. Hobbits like to dress in bright colours and love good food. They wear no shoes on their big, hairy feet. Thanks to Bilbo's presence in the Battle of Five Armies, we can read about it in his book There and Back Again.

MEN: A race of beings similar to, but much larger than, the average player.

GIANT EAGLES: A species of impressive eagles with high intelligence.

DALE: A town on the southern slopes of the Lonely Mountain. Founded by the Men of the North during the Third Age.

WARGS: Large, vicious werewolves that fight at the side of the abominable goblins.

WOLVES: Huge hounds, some of which are even ridden in this battle.

DWARVES: A race of small (1.2-1.5 m), stout craftsmen of exceptionally powerful build and impressive strength in combat.

Special Characters

BILBO BAGGINS: A rare and adventurous hobbit who came into possession of the One Ring on his journey. To keep out of trouble, Bilbo put on the One Ring during the fight and so became invisible.

BARD THE BOWMAN: Bard was a resident of Lake-town and a descendant of the King of Dale. Bard's well-aimed shot put an end to Smaug. He is the leader of the Men of Esgaroth in this battle.

BEORN: He is of a strange race, the Beornings or skin-changers. Beorn appeared on the battlefield in the shape of a bear. His rage and incredible hatred of goblins increased his appearance still further.

DAIN IRONFOOT: One of the mightiest and wisest dwarf kings of Durin's Folk.

GANDALF THE GREY: One of the most important wizards (Istari) in Middle-earth. Gandalf was a friend of the Free Peoples. His full power is, however, still unfathomed.

GWAIHIR THE LORD OF THE AIR: Lord of the Giant Eagles of the Misty Mountains. Gwaihir was once healed by Gandalf and repaid his debt many times by appearing in time of need and fighting at the side of the Free Peoples.

THORIN OAKENSHIELD: The King of Durin's Folk in exile. It was Thorin who led the expedition that led to Smaug's demise and the Battle of Five Armies.

THRANDUIL: Lord of the Sindarin Elves.

AZUG THE MONSTROUS: A great goblin captain and tribal leader under Bolg.

BOLG OF THE NORTH: Son of Azog and leader of the Dark Army that fought in the Battle of Five Armies.

GURASH THE GREAT: Giant goblin captain in Bolg's horde. Gurash commanded one of the tribes that crossed over the mountains.

OSAG: Goblin leader under Bolg. Osag's spearmen were among the most highly regarded under Bolg.

THRAK AND THUK: They are brothers and captains under Bolg of the North.

B-2 The Starting Setup

To begin the game, the players must decide which of the armies they wish to lead.

The FREE PEOPLES PLAYER commands the forces of the Men under Bard, the army of the Dwarves under Dain, the Dwarf King under the Mountain Thorin Oakenshield, the Elven army under Thranduil the Elvenking, the Giant Eagles led by Gwaihir the Lord of the Air, and Beorn the skin-changer.

The DARK PLAYER commands Bolg of the North and his horde of wolves, wargs and 5 goblin tribes under Thrak, Thuk, Azug, Osag and the notorious Gurash.

When the players have decided, the FREE PEOPLES PLAYER sits at one of the edges along the mountain ridges (the ridges run along the north-eastern and north-western sides of the board). The DARK PLAYER sits opposite. The cardboard counters should be sorted by colour.

The Free Peoples Player

The FREE PEOPLES PLAYER begins by setting up his troops. There is an imaginary boundary on the board running north from the Front Gate. A black arrow near the edge of the board points south along this line. This dividing line is used to divide the north-eastern and the north-western ridge of the Lonely Mountain.

The Elven army with Thranduil must set up anywhere on the north-western mountain range and south of (but not including) the line just described. Bilbo and Gandalf are also placed on this range. It must be kept in mind, however, that the mountain is represented by several shaded levels, from 1 to 4. 1 is the lowest level. The levels are drawn on both sides of the ridge.

Note: The counter mix also contains extra Elf counters. In the Basic Game, 2 (7-7) spearmen and 1 (7-7) archer are removed before the starting setup.

Bard and his men, and Dain with his Dwarves, are set up anywhere on the north-eastern mountain range and south of (but not including) the line just described.
Thorin's counter and his small group go in the hex in front of the Front Gate.
Gwaihir with his four eagles, together with Beorn, are put to one side for the time being. They come into play later, as reinforcements.

The abbreviations on the compass rose are in dwarvish letters; they stand for the cardinal directions (N, E, S, W).

The Dark Player

As soon as the FREE PEOPLES PLAYER has finished his setup, the DARK PLAYER must set up his units.

The 3 tribes under Thrak, Thuk and Azug, together with the wolves, are set up anywhere in the 3 rows of entry triangles in the south-eastern and south-western areas of the board, naturally observing the limits on the number of armies in a hex.
Bolg and his bodyguard, the tribes under Gurash and Osag, and the wargs are put to one side for the time being. They come into play later, as reinforcements.

The turn marker, called "Turn", is placed on space 1 of the turn track. Then the chips MOVE, FIRE, F/C and COMBAT are put in a pile. Three of the MOVE chips and one each of the COMBAT, F/C and FIRE chips are put into a cup or bag. Now the game can begin. The DARK PLAYER goes first. He draws a chip (MOVE) from the cup and begins that phase.

B-3 The Turn Sequence

The game is played in 12 turns. Each turn is further divided into phases. The various phases within the turn are printed on the chips drawn from the cup.

The Chip Mix

For turns 1-3 the chip mix consists of MOVE chips, plus one each of COMBAT, F/C and FIRE chips. At the start of turn 4 one more FIRE chip and one more COMBAT chip are added.

Choosing Chips

The 12 turns are divided into black (DARK PLAYER) and white (FREE PEOPLES PLAYER) turns. At the start of each black turn the DARK PLAYER takes the chip of his choice. This counts as the first phase of that turn. The FREE PEOPLES PLAYER then chooses a chip, which he can use later in that turn. He may not play it immediately after the DARK PLAYER.

In white turns it works exactly the other way round. The FREE PEOPLES PLAYER chooses his chip first, and the DARK PLAYER may then take a chip that he can use later.

After the first phase, the phases to be played next are drawn blind from the cup and shown openly. The players alternate in the sequence of phases.

Turns 1-3: During turns 1 to 3 there are 6 chips in the cup. 4 chips are played, then the turn marker is moved one space on.

Turns 4-12: During turns 4 to 12 there are 8 chips in the cup. 6 chips are played, then the turn marker is moved one space on. The game ends after turn 12.

EXAMPLE: At the start of turn 1 the DARK PLAYER takes a MOVE chip in order to bring his units into play. The FREE PEOPLES PLAYER then also chooses a MOVE chip, to be able to react to the goblins' advance later in the turn. The DARK PLAYER then plays his first chip. Since the FREE PEOPLES PLAYER may not play his chip immediately, he must draw one blind and show it openly. The FREE PEOPLES PLAYER thus draws a FIRE chip and with it brings his archers into play, who shoot arrows at the goblins from a distance. Now the DARK PLAYER draws a chip from the cup. This time another MOVE chip is drawn and he gets his second MOVE phase in this turn. Now the FREE PEOPLES PLAYER can finally play his MOVE chip, which he took a while ago after the DARK PLAYER. Since 4 phases have been played, the first turn ends and the turn marker is moved one space on. Turn 2 begins with the phase of the FREE PEOPLES PLAYER's choice, which thus gives him the opportunity to carry out 2 phases in a row. In turns 4 to 12 the procedure is the same, except that 6 phases are played.

B-4 Phases

Phases are the sections played in every turn. The phases are played when the corresponding chips have been drawn. 4 phases are played in turns 1-3 and 6 phases in turns 4-12. In the 4 different phases the following actions are possible:

MOVEMENT PHASE (MOVE PHASE): All friendly counters are moved according to their MOVEMENT VALUES and terrain effects. Reinforcements are placed on the entry triangles and moved into play.

COMBAT PHASE: All skirmishes are resolved using the COMBAT TABLE. The phase player chooses his attacks. They are then resolved on the COMBAT TABLE.

FIRE PHASE: All desired archery fire is resolved using the FIRE TABLE.

FIRE / COMBAT (F/C): This phase is carried out as either a FIRE phase or a COMBAT phase.

B-5 Reinforcements

Not all counters in the Battle of Five Armies begin the game on the board. Some come in as reinforcements in the MOVE PHASE. They enter play as follows:

TURN 4: During the 4th turn the tribes of Gurash and Osag (also called the Second Wave) come into play through the entry triangles along the north-western and north-eastern edge. This happens by placing them on any of the triangles and then moving them into play. If some Free Peoples counters are lying on these triangles, Dark counters can still be placed directly on top. The reinforcements are placed directly on the board, naturally observing the rules for several counters in the same hex. This group is regarded as the Second Wave of the goblins, which managed to climb over the mountain.

TURN 5: In the 5th turn Bolg appears with his bodyguard and the wargs. They are placed on the entry triangles along the south-eastern and south-western edge of the board (the same as in the first turn). If desired, they can be placed on the row of entry triangles that lies farthest from the board edge, inside the board. These reinforcements are designated on the turn track as the Third Attack.

TURN 7: In turn 7 the Giant Eagles under Gwaihir come into play. This is on any of the entry triangles along the north-western and north-eastern edges of the board.

TURN 8: Beorn, the great Man-Bear, enters the battlefield in the 8th turn. This is at the entry circle on the south-western edge of the board. If this hex is already occupied by a Free Peoples counter, he can be placed directly on top, or enter the board from the nearest free hex.

B-6 Movement

Movement follows when a MOVE chip has been chosen or drawn blind. The phase player may then move all or some of his counters.

The Game Board

Counters are positioned on the board so that they fit into the printed grid. They are moved from one hex to another according to the movement values and terrain restrictions. Each hex is determined by the type of terrain it lies in (e.g. plain hex, mountain hex, mountain-slope hex, Dale hex, etc.).

The board consists of several levels. The lowest level is the plain. Dale and the River Running are on this plain.
The Front Gate is on the same level as the plain. It can be fired at and moved onto only from 2 plain hexes, south-west and south-east of it. Attacks too can only be made from these two hexes. Red lines are drawn to mark the Front Gate, so as not to forget that fighting or moving through these hexsides is not allowed. The Front Gate cannot be attacked from above, as the 3 cliff hexes are impassable. Entering the Front Gate from one of the two plain hexes costs 4 movement points.
The Lonely Mountain itself is represented by several hatched levels numbered 1-4. They form the 2 mountain ranges along the north-eastern and north-western edge of the board. The ranges and the mountain levels are labelled. Each mountain hex costs 2 movement points to enter.
Cliff hexes cannot be reached from the ground by counters. Giant Eagles can, however, reach them.
Boulders, guard rooms, the destroyed bridge and entry triangles have no effect on movement.
Paths cancel the effects of the terrain through which they run. For this reason only 1 movement point is spent when a counter moves along a mountain path. Otherwise it would be 2 movement points per mountain hex. It does, however, cost 2 movement points to move from an adjacent mountain hex onto the mountain path.

Example: A goblin counter moves along a path towards Dale. If it stays on the path while moving through Dale, it only needs to spend one movement point per hex, instead of 2 movement points per Dale hex. Movement along the path through the mountain-slope hexes also costs only 1 movement point per hex, instead of the normal 2.

The River Running flows along the hexsides, which means that additional movement points are due when a hex is to be crossed. Movement points are therefore spent for the river and for the hex being moved into. These hexsides are harder for the DARK ARMIES to cross. These foul creatures have a natural aversion to water.
Dale hexes, mountain-slope hexes and mountain hexes cost 2 movement points to move into.
Plain hexes and hexes on hills cost 1 movement point.
Since Giant Eagles are always assumed to be flying when they move, they use only 1 movement point for their movement.
A complete list of terrain values can be found in the TERRAIN TABLE on the table sheet.

Movement

Every move of a counter is determined by its movement value, shown in the lower right corner of the counter. A counter may not exceed its movement value in its movement phase. One is also not forced to spend the whole movement value, or to move at all.

Movement values cannot be transferred from one counter to another or saved for a following phase.
Friendly counters may move freely over other friendly counters during the movement phase. At most 2 counters may be in the same hex (one counter of full combat strength and one leader counter or character counter per hex). These restrictions apply only at the end of the movement phase.
During movement, counters can move into any of the 6 adjacent hexes. Any change of direction is also possible. Only the movement value or terrain properties can restrict this.

The Effects of Enemy Counters

Dealing with enemy counters is decisive in the course of the game.

There are no control areas in the game. Most counters control only the hex they are currently in (which means that enemy counters cannot move through them).
The counters of leaders/characters, with the exception of Thorin, do not even have a control area in their own hex (see also LEADERS / CHARACTERS).
Friendly counters do not need to stop when moving through hexes adjacent to enemy counters.
A counter that begins the movement phase adjacent to an enemy counter can move within its hex in order to start a skirmish in the coming COMBAT phase. This is a continuation of the movement phase.
A counter that begins the movement phase in a hex with an enemy counter may only move into an adjacent hex, and only if that hex is free. This is a continuation of the movement phase.

B-7 Combat

During the combat phase the counters can carry out attacks and skirmishes, with dice being rolled. The results are then looked up in the COMBAT TABLE and any losses are removed immediately.

An attack is a combat between adjacent units. A skirmish is a combat between two units that are in the same hex. Attacks and skirmishes are resolved in the order the phase player determines.

Each friendly counter can take part in either 1 attack or 1 skirmish in a friendly combat phase. When a player draws a COMBAT chip, he is the attacker. The other player is then the defender.

Attack

Counters can attack any unit in one of the 6 adjacent hexes.

During one's own COMBAT PHASE, enemy counters may be attacked as often as desired.

Example: An enemy counter that is surrounded by 6 of one's own counters can be attacked separately by each of the 6 adjacent counters. It is also possible for the 6 counters to attack as a group (with 6 or fewer). The decision rests with the phase player.

The values of the attacking counters can be added together to obtain a higher difference, or they can attack separately. The decision rests with the phase player.
A player is not forced to attack. The decision rests with the phase player.
To carry out an attack, the COMBAT STRENGTH values of the attacking units are added together and compared with the COMBAT STRENGTH of the defender (COMBAT STRENGTH is the value at the bottom left of the counter). From this one obtains the difference (+4, +6, -1, -4, 0, etc.), which can be looked up in a column of the Combat Table. Then the 20-sided die is rolled and the result is read from the table and applied.

Example: Two goblin counters that are already on the reduced side each have a combat strength of 3 (6 together). They are attacked by an Elf counter with a combat strength of 6. The difference here is therefore 0. The 0 column of the Combat Table is looked up. The DARK PLAYER now rolls a 3 and the Elf counter must take a hit. If the goblin counters had had a combat strength of 5 each, the total difference would have been +4.

Skirmish

A skirmish is the combat between enemy units that are in the same hex. Unlike attacks, skirmishes must be carried out in every combat phase in which the counters are in the same hex.

In a skirmish too, the difference is determined as described above.
An advantage in a skirmish is that the phase player may count the combat strength of one adjacent counter, or stack of counters, in an adjacent hex into the skirmish. This counter or stack of counters is called the "second wave".

Illustration caption: A warg rider rolls in this skirmish. The column to be used is -2. If he includes the adjacent warg riders in the fight as a "second wave", the +4 column must be looked up.

Stacking

When counters are stacked, including leaders/characters, their combat strength values are added in attacks or skirmishes. This sum must then be used against the same hex being defended.

Losses

The results at the top of the Combat Table are the losses suffered by the defender. At the bottom are the losses of the attacker. The results 1, 2 or 3 mean the number of hits or lost steps.

In the Basic Game all counters need 2 hits to be killed. A full-strength counter that suffers a hit is therefore simply turned over to the half-strength side. In the Standard Game this is different: there, leaders / characters can also take several hits.
Losses to stacked counters are always applied from top to bottom. A unit lying on top is treated as if it stood in front of the other units in the hex (beneath it).
Whenever, in an attack with several units, a unit must take a hit, its owner determines which unit is affected.
If several friendly units are involved in a skirmish, losses always affect first the unit that is in the same hex as the enemy one.
If a hex becomes empty after a combat, the attacker may move the counter(s) into the empty hex, from a hex from which the attack was made. This also includes movement across a river or uphill.

Terrain Advantages

In the Basic Game the defender has some advantages regarding terrain. They can be looked up quickly on the table sheet. The advantages are the following:

Every time units attack from a lower level, 1 is added to the die result. The mountain consists of 4 levels, with level 4 the highest. The plain is regarded as one level next to level 1 of the mountain.

Example: In an attack, 3 goblin counters attack an Elf counter on level 1. Since 2 of the goblin counters attack from the plain and one from a mountain hex, 1 is added to the die result.

Whenever counters attack uphill from a mountain slope against a unit on the mountain, 1 is added to the die result, as described above.
Whenever units are attacked across a river, 1 is likewise added to the die result.
Whenever a defender occupies a Dale hex and is attacked, 1 is also added to the die result. This applies even if the attacking units also stand in a Dale hex.
1 is added to the die result if one of the guard rooms is attacked.
Whenever the Front Gate is attacked, 2 is added to the die result. The Front Gate is at plain level and can be attacked and entered only from the 2 plain hexes adjacent to the south-east and south-west. The two red hexsides of the Front Gate can neither be crossed, nor can attacks be made across these sides.

B-8 Archery Fire

When a FIRE chip has been chosen or drawn from the cup, all of one's own archery fire is resolved. Archery fire can only be made by archers (the counters with a printed short bow or long bow as weapon type). In the Standard Game, Gandalf's spells are also resolved in the FIRE phase.

Bow Value

The number in parentheses on the archer counters is the bow value. It is used to determine both range and strength of fire. Elf archers have a bow value of 6, while goblin archers have only 4. Bard's bow value is found between his legs. Archer counters also have a normal combat strength value and can take part in attacks and skirmishes.

An archer with a bow value of 4 can shoot at a distance of 1 hex with a strength of 4, at a distance of 2 hexes with a strength of 3, at a distance of 3 hexes with a strength of 2 and at a distance of 4 hexes with a strength of 1. The bow value is thus counted down by subtracting 1 for each hex further away. In this way the strength for each hex within range can be determined.
Range is regarded as the number of hexes between the archer and his target, including the target's hex but excluding the shooter's hex.
Note that Bard has a bow value of 1. He can either use it alone and shoot separately (if he is not stacked), or he can add it to the bow value of other Men counters with which he is stacked.

Resolving Archery Fire

To shoot, all archers add their bow values against a target hex. This sum is given in a column of the Fire Table. After the roll of the 20-sided die the result is read and applied.

The archers can shoot in any order desired.
A counter or stack of counters may shoot as often as desired during the FIRE phase.

Example: Two Elf archers (each with a bow value of 6) wish to shoot at a goblin at a distance of 1 hex. They can either add their values to a value of 12, or shoot separately with a value of 6 each (see Fire Table).

Archers can shoot in any direction.
In the Basic Game version of BoFA, archers can, if they wish, also shoot over other counters and terrain. In the Standard Game, on the other hand, the line of sight (LOS) is introduced.

Restrictions

There are also some restrictions on archery fire in the Basic Game. The Standard Game describes special protection against archery fire, depending on the position of the target.

Archers who are engaged in a skirmish (e.g. stacked with enemy counters) cannot shoot.
Archers also cannot shoot at units that are engaged in a skirmish.
Archers may shoot only once during the FIRE phase. They may not divide their bow value among more than one shot.
Archers of reduced strength who are stacked together must add their bow values for a joint shot.

(Translator's note: the source text as printed numbers "Bow Value" items 1-3 and "Resolving Archery Fire" items 1-2, then 3-4 after the example; this numbering is preserved as printed.)

B-9 Stacking

These stacking restrictions take effect only at the end of the movement phase (MOVE). Friendly units may move freely over one another during the movement phase (MOVE) without restriction.

Restrictions

Only one full-strength counter may lie in each hex.

2 reduced-strength counters can be stacked in one hex. They can move and fight normally. If they wish to move together, the lower movement value of the two counters is used.
Reduced-strength Elf and Dwarf counters cannot be stacked. It is assumed that they would rather fight each other than fight in one unit.
Friendly counters can be stacked at any time during the movement phase, as long as they do not spend more movement points than they have.
A leader counter may be stacked in a hex with one full-strength counter or with 2 half-strength counters. It is not possible to have more than one leader or character per hex.

EXAMPLE: Two goblin archer units can be in a hex with Bolg of the North. No further goblin captain may be in this hex.

Beorn the skin-changer may not be stacked with friendly units. He can, however, be in a hex with enemy units, e.g. in a skirmish.

Effects of Stacking

For stacked counters of reduced strength, the combat strength of the corresponding counters is added when they attack or take part in a skirmish. They also may not attack in 2 different directions.

Stacked half-strength archers must add their bow values against a target.
Stacked counters always take damage in the stack from top to bottom.
If the top counter in a stack is a leader, he can take only one hit per attack, skirmish or shot on the stack. If, however, the leader/character lies on a half-strength counter and the stack suffers three hits, the leader/character naturally takes the excess hits.

EXAMPLE: Thrak lies on a wolf rider unit and the stack receives 3 hits. Thrak takes only one hit and the remaining ones strike and destroy the wolf rider beneath him. If the wolf rider already had reduced strength, however, the remaining hit would go to Thrak and he would also be destroyed.

B-10 Leaders / Characters and Special Counters

These counters stand for the numerous captains and famous persons in this battle.

Leaders/characters have a combat strength, which is normally used during combat (COMBAT).
In the Basic Game, leaders take only 2 hits, like every other counter.
Leaders/characters (except Thorin) do not control the hex they are in. Enemy units can therefore move freely into this hex or stay there, so that the leader/character remains alone in a hex. Nevertheless, leaders/characters cannot move through enemy units.
The Thorin counter is regarded as both a leader/character and a unit counter, since 12 dwarves fight with him.
As described in the previous section, Beorn cannot be placed together with other friendly counters. But just like the eagles, he can move directly on top of an enemy counter, even if he did not begin his movement in an adjacent hex.
Giant Eagles always fly when they move. They can therefore ignore enemy units and terrain effects. They can move directly onto an enemy counter, even if they did not begin their movement in an adjacent hex.

B-11 Victory Conditions

In the Basic Game of the Battle of Five Armies the players fight for control of victory hexes and areas.

To win the game, a player must, at the end of the game, control more victory hexes/areas than his opponent. A player controls a hex/area if he is the only player who has units there.
The 5 victory hexes/areas are marked with red stars. They are the 2 guard rooms, one on each mountain side, the Front Gate, the mountain summit and the town of Dale (the hex with a red star in the centre of the town).
Note that the mountain summit consists of 3 hexes. To control it, a player must have a counter placed in each of the 3 hexes. If enemy units are in one of the hexes, the area cannot be counted as controlled by either player.
To control the town of Dale, a player needs only one counter in the hex with the red star.
Giant Eagles or leaders/characters, except Thorin, have no influence on the control of victory hexes/areas. By the move of a Giant Eagle or a leader/character into a victory hex/area, one neither gains nor loses control of the area or hex.

The Standard Game

S-1 Definitions

All definitions of the Basic Game also apply in the Standard Game. The following relate to rules introduced in the Standard Game.

LINE OF SIGHT (LOS): A term used for archery fire. The line of sight restricts the number of targets to those that can actually be seen by the unit in question.

MORALE CHECK: Now and then a die is rolled to determine whether the corresponding action can be carried out.

REGROUPING (RALLY): An automatic phase carried out at the start of a white turn by the Free Peoples player and at the start of a black turn by the Dark player.

DIVE ATTACK: A special attack by the eagles against enemy units that are on a mountain hex.

REGROUPING OF LEADERS / CHARACTERS: Leader/character counters can also be regrouped. Leaders/characters may roll once for each hit they have suffered. A result of the original combat strength or less removes the hit (see S-10 Leaders/Characters for an explanation of how these counters take hits). If a leader/character wants to support a half-strength unit in regrouping, it is advisable for the leader/character to be regrouped first himself.

EXAMPLE: Gandalf wants to remove 2 hits that he has suffered. He rolls separately for each hit and needs a 5 or less for a success. He rolls a 4 and a 6, so one hit is removed.

BONUSES FOR THE REGROUPING OF LEADERS/CHARACTERS: If a leader/character (except Beorn) lies on top of a stack with one or more half-strength units, he can subtract his combat strength from the regrouping roll.

To be able to support the units in this way, the counter must be under the command of the leader/character.

Leader/Character	Command
Gandalf	All Free Peoples
Elvenking & Bilbo*	Elves
Dain	Dwarves
Thorin	Dwarves
Bard	Men of Esgaroth
Gwaihir	Giant Eagles
Bolg	All Dark Armies
Dark tribal captain	Only units of their tribes (same colour)

Beorn cannot take part in this regrouping.

*Bilbo does not belong to the command of Elf units, but can take part in their regrouping.

Example: Bolg, with a combat strength of 5, is stacked with a half-strength goblin counter. The leader subtracts 5 from his roll for regrouping. Since the counter needed a roll of 4 or less, a roll of 9 or less is now successful for a regrouping.

A leader/character counter (except Beorn) can use his current combat strength to support the regrouping of 2 half-strength counters. If a regrouped counter results in too many units being in one hex, it must immediately be moved to an adjacent hex, even if there is an enemy unit next to this hex. If all adjacent hexes are occupied by friendly units, 1 unit may be shifted (e.g. by moving it to another hex to make room). If the adjacent friendly counters have no room to shift, the reduced unit cannot be regrouped.

S-2 Starting Setup

The setup takes place exactly as in the Basic Game.

S-3 The Turn Sequence

The turn sequence follows the same pattern as described in the Basic Game, with the following exceptions:

REGROUPING: A regrouping phase is carried out every turn. This happens automatically, without a chip being drawn.

The Free Peoples player regroups his units automatically in the white turn (turns 2, 4, 6, 8, 12). (Translator's note: turn 10 is not listed in the source text, although it is a white turn; this is reproduced as printed.)
The Dark player regroups his units automatically in the black turn (turns 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11).
The regrouping players roll for each friendly half-strength unit. A result of 1-4 gives the unit strength back, so that the counter is turned back to the full-strength side.
Friendly units that are in a skirmish (stacked with enemy counters) can be regrouped.

Use of the Chosen Chips

The player who has the second choice of a chip at the start of a turn has the option (later in the turn) of playing his chip or of drawing a chip blind from the cup.

Example: During turn 3 the Dark player has the first choice and the Free Peoples player the second choice. The Dark player chooses a MOVE chip and the Free Peoples player a COMBAT chip. The Dark player must now begin his turn with the chosen chip, while the Free Peoples player keeps his chip for his second phase in this turn (in turn 3 only 4 phases are played). In his second phase he sees that only 2 MOVE chips are left in the cup (the phases already played were MOVE, FIRE and F/C). He now makes use of his option and draws a chip from the cup instead of playing his COMBAT chip.

S-4 Phases

The phases are played exactly as in the Basic Game, with some exceptions:

A regrouping phase takes place automatically at the start of each turn (see S-3 REGROUPING).
Gandalf can try to use a spell (as a shot) at the start of each Free Peoples FIRE phase. See the Fire Phase for an exact description of Gandalf's spells.
Giant Eagles can carry out a dive attack during a friendly movement phase (MOVE) (see COMBAT).
Boulders can be rolled at the start of the FIRE and COMBAT phases (see Combat).

S-5 Reinforcements

REINFORCEMENTS IN TURN 4: A die is rolled to determine where the 2 tribes of Gurash and Osag come into play in turn 4. On a 1-3 they come into play on the entry triangles on the north-eastern mountain ridge, including the corner. On a 4-6 they must come into play on the entry triangles on the north-western mountain ridge, including the corner. On a 7-10 they can come into play anywhere along these edges.

So that they can intervene in the game, reinforcements may simply be placed directly on top of the enemy counters (as a skirmish; see COMBAT). Reinforcements are placed on the board in accordance with the stacking rules.

S-6 Movement

In the Standard Game, morale checks are made from time to time to see whether a special movement is possible. In this case the combat strength is used as the morale value.

MORALE CHECKS: A morale check is successful if a die result is equal to or less than the combat strength value of the character/minion.

If a leader is stacked on top of another counter that must take a morale check, the leader's combat strength can be subtracted from the die result. It is thus easier to pass the morale check.
Leaders or characters that are not on top in a stack cannot influence the roll.
Leaders or characters who support a morale check must be moved into the hex in question if the check is to succeed. In other words, they cannot simply remain in an adjacent hex and play the combat chip (COMBAT).
It must be noted that leaders or characters can support other units only if these are under their command. See REGROUPING for a more detailed description.
Stacked half-strength units may add their combat strength values when a morale check is required.
A unit that fails a morale check can continue the movement phase (MOVE).

THE FOLLOWING SITUATIONS REQUIRE MORALE CHECKS:

Every time a goblin counter (not a wolf or warg) moves into a hex with an Elf counter (e.g. to attack it in a skirmish).
Every time a unit moves into a hex with an enemy counter (e.g. to attack it in a skirmish) that is on a higher-lying hex. Here the mountain slopes count as lying at the same height as the plain. The mountain summit is one level higher than the mountain slopes. The Front Gate itself is at the height of the plain. The mountain is divided into four levels.

Example: A goblin unit with a combat strength of 5 on level 2 of the mountain wants to move into the hex of a dwarf unit located on level 3. A morale check with a result of 5 or less is required for this.

Only one morale check is necessary if a goblin unit wants to move into a hex with an Elf unit that is also on a mountain.

Example: Gurash, with a combat strength of 3, is stacked on a goblin counter with a combat strength of 4 that wants to move into the hex of an Elf unit. Since Gurash can subtract 3 from the die result, a 7 or less must be rolled.

Every time a unit wants to move into the hex of an enemy unit across a river.
Whenever a unit wants to move into the Front Gate hex and it is occupied by an enemy unit. This can only be done from one of the two adjacent plain hexes. This morale check is modified by +2.

Example: A goblin counter with a combat strength of 6 wants to move into the hex of an enemy counter that is in the Front Gate. A result of 4 or less is required. A suitable leader could help here.

RESTRICTIONS OF THE FRONT GATE: In the Standard Game, dwarf units are the only Free Peoples units that can occupy the Front Gate hex.

S-7 Combat

In the Standard Game there are the following additions in combat.

DIVE ATTACKS: The Giant Eagles (including Gwaihir) can attack in the movement phase (MOVE) of the Free Peoples.

Whenever a Giant Eagle moves, the Free Peoples player announces the flight path.
Then the Free Peoples player picks an enemy counter along the flight path as target (with stacked counters it is always the unit lying on top).
Each Giant Eagle can make 1 dive attack per movement phase (MOVE).
Leaders or characters cannot be the target of a dive attack. If they lie on top in a stack, the unit beneath is the target.

RESOLUTION OF DIVE ATTACKS: There are 2 ways to resolve a dive attack.

An enemy counter is picked up and flicked onto a free area of the table, as if tossing a coin. If the counter lands with the full-strength side up, nothing happens to it. If, however, the half-strength side is up, it must take a hit. Then the enemy counter is put back in its original hex. The unit is dead and removed from the game if it already had reduced strength.
If the first method is not possible, a die is rolled. A result of 1-5 produces a hit.

RESTRICTIONS ON DIVE ATTACKS:

The target of a dive attack must be on a mountain hex. This rules out an attack against the Front Gate.
Giant Eagles cannot fly dive attacks against the guard rooms.
Leaders or characters cannot become targets of dive attacks. If a leader or character lies on top of a stack with another unit, then the unit beneath him is the target.
Giant Eagles cannot fly dive attacks against enemy units that are engaged in a skirmish.

GIANT EAGLES AND SKIRMISHES: Giant Eagles can end their movement phase (MOVE) on top of an enemy counter. If the enemy player wants a skirmish in the coming combat phase (COMBAT), the eagles must be placed under the enemy counter.

Giant Eagles cannot end their movement stacked on a friendly counter.
A friendly counter can be used as a second wave in an eagle skirmish.
Giant Eagles may not be used as a second wave in a skirmish.
Giant Eagles cannot take part in a skirmish at the Front Gate or at one of the guard rooms. These places are too cramped for them to fight effectively.
Enemy units can move freely through Giant Eagle counters (i.e. the Dark player cannot have a counter placed next to a Giant Eagle counter, as he would thereby force the Giant Eagle to the ground and into a skirmish).
Giant Eagles can only be drawn into a skirmish if they began the combat phase (COMBAT) next to a Dark counter.

ATTACKS WITH ROLLING ROCKS: The attacks take place at the start of the combat phase (COMBAT) and the fire phase (FIRE). To carry out this attack, the rolling counter must be on a boulder-pile hex and the target somewhere along the slope at a distance of 1 or 2 hexes. At a distance of 1 hex the target counter suffers a hit. At a distance of 2 hexes it suffers a hit only on a die result of 1-3.

Units can roll rocks and attack in the same combat phase (COMBAT).
Units can roll rocks and shoot in the same fire phase (FIRE).
Only 1 rock attack can be made per boulder pile and phase. There is, however, no limit on rock attacks over the whole game.
Units that are stacked with enemy units cannot roll rocks. Rocks also cannot be rolled against enemy units that are stacked with friendly units.
Giant Eagles cannot roll rocks.
Thorin and Beorn can roll rocks, all other leaders/characters cannot.
If both hexes (at distance 1 and 2) in the rolling path are occupied by a unit, the roll is first made against the nearest unit. If this is not successful, the next one follows. This is also carried out in this way if the first or second unit is a friendly unit.

ATTACKS: Attacks are changed somewhat to make combat a little more realistic. These changes are added to the terrain advantages.

1 is subtracted from the die result when spearmen of either army attack other units that are not spearmen.
Bolg and his bodyguards receive -1 on their rolls when they attack. This is because Bolg's bodyguard is armed primarily with scimitars of high-quality steel. The axe symbol is there to distinguish them from the others.
Beorn receives a -1 on every roll when he attacks.

SKIRMISHES: In skirmishes too there are some changes in the Standard Game.

From all rolls of goblin counters (except archers and spearmen), 1 is subtracted from the die result when they are involved in a skirmish. If 2 goblin counters are involved in a skirmish, neither of them may be an archer or spearman in order to get this bonus.
Beorn has the advantage that he can move directly into a skirmish. He does not need to be adjacent to an enemy counter at the start of the movement phase (MOVE). In addition, 2 is subtracted from the die roll.
If second-wave counters come from a lower level or across a river, 1 is added to the die result when the skirmish is resolved. In some cases this will cancel the goblin skirmish bonuses. If the second wave intervenes in a skirmish at the Front Gate, 2 is added to the roll. If a second counter also intervenes in the skirmish, 1 is added to the die result.

S-8 Archery Fire

In the Standard Game there are a few changes in the fire phase.

Aiming During Archery Fire

When shooting at eagles in the air (i.e. not in a skirmish), 1 must be added to the die result.
When shooting at a target in Dale, 1 must be added to the die result.
When shooting at a counter on a higher mountain level, 1 must be added to the die result.
When shooting at a hex of the mountain summit (of which there are 3) from a non-summit hex, 1 must be added to the die result.
When archers shoot at one of the two guard rooms, 2 must be added to the die result.
When shooting at the Front Gate hex, 2 must be added to the die result.
Archers cannot shoot out of the guard rooms, as these are hewn into the mountain.

LINE OF SIGHT: Archers can only shoot if they have a clear line of sight. A ruler can be laid from the centre of the archer's hex to the target hex. If this line passes through a hex containing any of the following, the line of sight is blocked:

Any counter, whether enemy or friendly.
The town of Dale.
Any terrain level that is higher than both the target hex and the archer's hex.

As far as line of sight is concerned, the guard rooms, cliff hexes and the Front Gate do not count as blocking obstacles.

THE FRONT GATE: The Front Gate is something special as regards fire. Archery fire can only penetrate through the two hexsides that face the plain (see map).

Gandalf's Spells

Gandalf has 3 spells that he may use at the start of the Free Peoples' fire phase. To do so, the player announces that a spell follows and then chooses one. Gandalf can attempt 1 spell per fire phase. Spells are not activated automatically; a die must be rolled for them. Once a spell has been activated, it cannot be used again. In total 2 spells can be used in the whole game. Gandalf can use spells even if he is in a skirmish. In addition, he does not need a clear line of sight to use the spells.

These are Gandalf's spells:

All combat units in a hex at a distance of up to 10 hexes are destroyed. A roll of 1-6 is required for this. This does not, however, affect leaders or characters in the target hex. Gandalf cannot use this spell against enemy units that are engaged in a skirmish.
All enemy units are pushed back 2 hexes (regardless of terrain). A roll of 1-7 is required for this. On a success, all enemy units are moved on a direct path away from the wizard. If goblin units (not wargs, wolves or leaders) are pushed across the River Running (Eilend), they are destroyed and removed from the game. Enemy units are moved (i.e. displaced) to the nearest free hex to make room for those who were pushed away from the wizard. Displaced units do not drown in the river, only those that were pushed back by the wizard. If the optional stacking rule is used, wolves are stacked and not displaced.
Friendly combat units within a radius of 3 hexes can be regrouped automatically. A die result of 1-8 is required for this. Friendly leaders/characters are not affected by this.

S-9 Stacking

In the Standard Game the rules of the Basic Game are adopted without changes.

S-10 Leaders / Characters

Leaders/characters play a larger role in the Standard Game. They not only support friendly units in regrouping, but are also harder to remove from the game.

LOSSES OF LEADERS / CHARACTERS: In the Standard Game the combat strength of leaders/characters also represents the number of hits a leader/character must take before being removed from the game. To keep track of the number of hits, there are additional white counters with digits printed on their sides.

When a leader/character is hit, such a counter is placed under the leader, with the digit along the upper edge of the leader/character counter.
With each following hit the counter lying beneath is turned, so that the digit at the top always shows the number of hits suffered.
This digit must always be subtracted from the original combat strength to get the current combat strength, until the leader/character is regrouped (if at all) and thereby regains full combat strength.
The leader/character is removed from the game when he has taken a number of hits exceeding his combat strength value.

EXAMPLE: The wizard Gandalf begins the game with a combat strength of 5. In the course of a combat he has had to take 3 hits. The additional counter should now be turned so that the 3 is at the top edge of Gandalf's counter. In this state he can support regrouping or perform morale checks only with a combat strength value of 2. If he now takes 2 further hits, he is removed from the game.

See REGROUPING to learn how leaders/characters get hits back.

ESCAPE OF LEADERS: Whenever a leader/character (except Beorn or Thorin) is in a hex with an enemy counter on him (or a counter moves through him), he has the option of moving away with his entire movement value. This option must be carried out immediately. It never affects enemy units.

EXAMPLE: Gandalf is alone in a hex during the Dark player's movement phase. In the course of a move a goblin counter is moved into his hex (note that only Thorin has a control zone that affects his own hex). Gandalf announces his option immediately and moves 2 hexes away, stacked with an Elf unit. The goblin counter continues its movement.

BEORN: Beorn is obviously the strongest counter in the game. Not only because he can take 8 hits, but because he can also enter a skirmish at once without being adjacent to an enemy unit in the movement phase (MOVE). His roll is modified by -1 when he attacks and by -2 when he takes part in a skirmish.

BOLG OF THE NORTH: Bolg gives his dreadful subordinates an additional bonus. Bolg's presence raises the enthusiasm of the Dark Army.

In all skirmishes and attacks within a radius of 3 hexes around Bolg that take place in the Dark player's combat phase, the result of the column to the right of the normally used one is applied. That is, instead of the +1 column the +2 column is used, or instead of the +3 column the +4 column.
Bolg's bodyguard can also benefit from this, as well as from the -1 deduction on their attacks.

BILBO BAGGINS: As already described, Bilbo's presence during the fight is extraordinarily important. If he has to take 2 hits, this does not yet mean his death, but he can no longer use his ring to make himself invisible.

S-11 Victory Conditions

The victory conditions in the Standard Game are very similar to those of the Basic Game, as regards the victory hexes and the various levels of victory.

If a player controls 1 victory hex / area more than his opponent, he wins a marginal victory.
If a player controls 2 victory hexes / areas more than his opponent, he wins a tactical victory.
A player who controls all victory hexes / areas wins a complete victory.
In the Basic Game, "controlling a victory hex or area" means that a player alone occupies this hex and no enemy units are in the hex. In the Standard Game, however, it is possible for both players to have units in a victory hex and still "control" that hex. If both players occupy a victory hex, it is regarded as contested if one player has at least half as many combat strength points (rounded up) in the victory hex as the opponent. If a victory hex is contested, neither player can regard the hex as his own. (The source numbers this paragraph's following item as 5; the numbering is reproduced as printed, with no item 4.)
A player can still control the Dale area by having a counter in the hex with the star, as long as no enemy counters are in any other Dale hex. Dale is regarded as contested if counters are in its hexes that have at least half as many combat strength points as the opponent.

EXAMPLE: The Dark player controls the Dale victory area with a goblin counter (combat strength 5) that occupies the hex with the red star. A further goblin counter (combat strength 4) is also in Dale. The hex is free of Free Peoples counters. The Free Peoples player now wants to contest the victory hex. If he moves counters with combat strength values (added) of at least 5 into the hex, it counts as contested. And if he now wants to take complete control of the hex, he must have counters with a combat strength (added) of 19 points in the hex.

The mountain summit is regarded as contested by placing counters in the slope hexes.

Optional Rules

The optional rules can be used in the game to increase complexity and variety. With 2 experienced players it is possible that the Free Peoples player has a slight advantage, so these additional rules help to balance this out.

O-1 Bat Attack

The goblin army fought under a cloud of matted bats. Even if they are not really effective in combat (except that they bring some darkness), they do hack at the heads and necks of the fighters.

At the start of each Dark player's fire phase, bat attacks are rolled against all Free Peoples counters with half combat strength (with the exception of counters in the guard rooms).
On a die result of 1-3 the counters with half combat strength are removed from the game.
If they are stacked with a corresponding leader/character (except Beorn), a 1 or 2 must be rolled to destroy the reduced counter.
Reduced counters that are stacked with Gandalf cannot be attacked by bats.

O-2 Rules for Multiple Players

If more players are to take part, a third player commands the goblin units that arrive over the mountain. During the course of the game he may not confer with the other Dark player. If 4 players take part in the game, the army of the Free Peoples is also divided. One player gets the armies of the Elves, Beorn, Gandalf and Bilbo, while the other player commands the Dwarves, Men and Giant Eagles. The Free Peoples players too may not confer during the game.

O-3 Thorin

The attack and skirmish values are shifted one column to the right, as a bonus for the Free Peoples players, as soon as Thorin leaves the Front Gate hex. This is to represent his dramatic intervention in the battle.

O-4 Hysteria

Some of the results in the Combat Table are marked with small asterisks. When these results are rolled, the defender must immediately make a morale check with his lower combat strength value. If it fails, the defender becomes hysterical and gets an additional "H" counter placed in his hex.

Hysterical units defend with a combat strength value of 1 and can only attack as described below.
At the start of each friendly movement phase (MOVE) a die is rolled for the direction (1 stands for north; then each direction is assigned a digit (2-6) clockwise; on results of 7-10 the counter cannot move) and once for the movement distance that it is moved in the corresponding direction, regardless of terrain effects.
If the path that must be taken during hysteria leads through a hex with an enemy counter, the movement ends and a skirmish is carried out in the next combat phase.
Hysterical units continue to behave in this way until they are either destroyed, driven off the board, or regrouped. They can only be regrouped by a corresponding leader/character, and then only with a combat strength value of 1.
Leaders/characters, Giant Eagles and Elves cannot become hysterical.

O-5 Goblin Leaders

Since goblin tribal leaders are only the meanest and ugliest goblins, they can usually be quickly replaced by other goblins if they are killed.

If a goblin leader is killed, he is brought back into play with half combat strength in the Dark player's next movement phase (MOVE), in a hex with a counter of his tribe.
Thuk returns with a combat strength of 1.
Bolg cannot be brought back into play in this way.

O-6 Variable Reinforcements

After the Free Peoples player has set up his units, the Dark player must determine which 2 of his 5 units are to come over the mountain. These are still brought into play in turn 4. Since there are not enough entry triangles for all Dark units, all surplus ones will come into play in the following turn.

O-7 Additional Stacking

To get larger goblin stacks, it is possible to stack a non-wolf-rider goblin with a wolf rider counter, placing it on top of it. If the units move together, the lower movement value of the counters is used.

O-8 Extra Elves

The Free Peoples player can roll to bring 3 additional Elf units into play. On a 1-3, 1 extra counter can be brought into play. On a 4-7, 2 units, and on an 8-10, 3 units can be brought into play. The Free Peoples player may decide which ones he receives.

O-9 Extra Turns

If many games end narrowly, like a neck-and-neck race, 4 additional turns can be agreed.

"...And So the Story Ended"

As the goblin horde streamed into the plain, first the Elves and then the Dwarves came down from the mountain and attacked the goblins on the flanks. This attack caught the goblins unprepared. Their numbers began to sink rapidly. Soon more goblins came over the mountain. Bard was pressed up the northern ridge and Thranduil gathered his Elves on Ravenhill, while Thorin and his company with great shouting tore down the wall at the Front Gate and plunged into the fight. Numerous Dwarves, Men and Elf spearmen gathered at his side. In this furious assault they pushed right into the enemy, but could not break through to Bolg's goblins and his bodyguard. Soon they were isolated and attacked from all sides in a great ring by wolves and goblins. Unexpectedly the Giant Eagles with Gwaihir, the Lord of the Winds, came to their aid at the moment when they thought their last hour had struck. They flew in low over the mountain and seized some goblins and dropped them from a great height over their own armies. Other orcs ran screaming over the mountains. The fight still raged in the valley and the outcome of the battle was uncertain when Thorin fell on the summit, pierced by many spears. But then Beorn appeared on the battlefield with a loud roar. He knocked goblins out of the way to his right and left and carried Thorin's lifeless body out of the battle to safety. On his way back he smashed the bodyguard and killed Bolg with his mighty arms. The remaining goblins went mad with fear and fled from the battlefield.

Author's Notes

The problem in designing the game was to create a situation in which few units have a good chance against very many. The Dark player should not be discouraged if he loses many units, since he can live very well with sacrificing 2 of his units for 1 enemy one. He has good chances if he manages to isolate small units of the Free Peoples. This can often be achieved by good advance planning, but more often it happens by chance.

Dwarves are great. Even when surrounded by a large circle, they can still defend themselves very well. It is best to use spearmen against them. The Front Gate is very difficult to take. So it should be. Once the defenders are isolated, they can be brought down with archers.

The Free Peoples player is in an interesting dilemma. At the start of the game he holds 3 victory hexes/areas. But during the fight he can easily lose some. The 2 goblin tribes that come over the mountain are the weakest. They often do not need to be given great attention. The streaming down from the mountain has often been played both successfully and unsuccessfully. You should not let yourself be split into too many small groups. When you are at full strength, you can also strike into a circle. Because of the rules, goblins tend to let themselves be drawn into a skirmish. If this happens at a bad moment, they can quickly be torn to pieces.

Tables

The following tables are printed as images on pages 25-26 of the German document. They are transcribed here from those images.

Combat Table (Kampftabelle)

Roll the 20-sided die and read down the column for the strength difference (attacker's total combat strength minus defender's). Results shown in the table apply to the defender (the upper-right part of the table); results in the lower-left part are losses for the attacker (the table marks the two diagonal bands "Losses suffered by the attacker" and "Losses suffered by the defender"). The numbers are the number of hits taken. An asterisk (*) marks a possible hysteria result (see Optional Rules O-4). Empty cells mean no result.

Roll	-5/-6	-3/-4	-2/-1	0	+1/+2	+3/+4	+5/+6	+7/+8	+9/+10	+11/+14	+15 & more
0	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	3	3	3	3
1		1	1	1	1	2	2

(Reading note: in each row, the filled cells to the left of the empty gap are the attacker's losses and the filled cells to the right of the gap are the defender's losses, per the two diagonal bands printed on the table.)

Notes on using the Combat Table: To resolve an attack or skirmish, the combat strength values of the friendly units are compared with the combat strength of the defending unit(s). (The phase player is always the attacker, the non-phase player the defender.) With this procedure one gets a difference (+8, +6, +4, 0, -6, -2, etc.) that is represented by a column in the table. For example, a combat strength of 10 of the attacker minus a combat strength of 6 of the defender gives a difference of +4; a combat strength of 8 of the attacker minus a combat strength of 9 of the defender gives a difference of -1; and a combat strength of 7 of the attacker minus a combat strength of 7 of the defender gives a difference of 0. Then a 20-sided die is rolled and the result is looked up in the column of the table and applied. The results at the top of the table apply to the defender, those at the bottom of the table to the attacker (i.e. if one has to roll for an attack or skirmish, one wants to achieve a low result). The numbers refer to the number of hits that had to be taken. The asterisks stand for possible hysteria results (see Optional Rules). All combats below -5/-6 are rolled on the -5/-6 column and combats above +15 are rolled on the +15 column. Note that on the 20-sided die the 0 counts as 10. The 0 in the Combat Table is reached through a special deduction.

Close Combat Modifiers in the Standard Game (see S-7)

Situation	Roll modification
Skirmish with goblin units, but not archers or spearmen	-1
Skirmish with Beorn	-2

Combat Modification in the Standard Game (see S-7)

Situation	Roll modification
An attack made only by spearmen	-1*
An attack made only by Bolg and his bodyguard	-1
An attack by Beorn only	-1

* 1 is subtracted from the roll of the 20-sided die when the attack is resolved.

Fire Table (Schusstabelle)

Column = total bow value fired at the target hex. (The column headings are printed as "1, 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 9-10-11, 12-13-14, 15 & more"; the value 8 is not printed in any heading in the source. This is reproduced as printed.) Cells show hits; empty cells mean no result.

Roll	1	2-3	4-5	6-7	9-10-11	12-13-14	15 & more
1	1	2	2	3	3	3	3
2	1	1	1	2	2	2	2
3		1	1	1	1	2	2

Using the Fire Table (see Standard Game S-8): To be able to shoot, all archers add their bow values onto the target hex (see B-8 Archery Fire). This sum is represented by a column in the Fire Table. The value of the roll of the 20-sided die is then read in this column. The numbers refer to the number of hits that had to be taken. The results are applied immediately.

Fire Modification in the Standard Game (see S-8)

Situation	Roll modification
Shot at a target in Dale	+1*
Shot at a counter on a higher level, including the summit hex, from a non-summit hex	+1
Shot at a counter in one of the guard rooms	+2
Shot at a counter in the Front Gate hex	+2
Shot at a flying eagle	+1 to the range

* 1 is subtracted from the roll of the 20-sided die when the shot is resolved (as printed).

Boulder Roll Table (Felsenrolltabelle, see Standard Game S-7 Combat)

Target	Roll
Against targets at 1 hex distance	1-5
Against targets at 2 hexes distance	1-3

Situations Requiring Morale Checks (see Standard Game S-6 Movement)

A goblin counter stacking with an Elf counter (e.g. for a skirmish).
A counter wants to stack with an enemy counter on a higher level. This occurs among the 4 mountain levels and with counters moving from a mountain slope to a summit hex.
A counter wants to stack with an enemy counter that is on the other side of a river.
A counter wants to stack with an enemy counter that is in the Front Gate hex. This cannot be done from the two free hexes on the plain. This morale check is modified by +2.

Terrain Table (Geländetabelle)

Terrain	Movement points to enter
Mountain hex (all 4 levels)	2
Plain hex	1
Mountain-slope hex	2
Mountain-summit hex	1
Dale hex	2
Path or road hex	1
Cliff hex	Cannot be entered
River Running (Eilend)	+1 Free Peoples*, +2 Dark Army
Front Gate hex	4**
Boulder piles and slide paths, guard rooms, entry triangles and circles, destroyed bridge	No additional movement cost

* The River Running flows along hexsides, so movement points are spent for crossing. These are in addition to those to be paid for entering the hex beyond the river.

** Note that the Front Gate hex can be entered only from the adjacent hexes on the plain. The red hexsides cannot be crossed, and no fighting can take place across them.

Terrain Bonuses (Geländeboni)

Situation	Roll modification
Attack with counters attacking from a higher hex (as printed; the rules text B-7 gives the +1 for attacking from a lower level)	+1*
Attack with counters attacking from a mountain-slope hex or from the summit	+1
Attack with counters attacking across a river	+1
Attack on a target in a Dale hex	+1
Attack on a counter in one of the guard rooms	+1
Attack on a counter in a Front Gate hex	+2**

* 1 is subtracted from the roll of the 20-sided die when the attack is resolved (as printed).

** The Front Gate hex can only be attacked from one of the 2 adjacent plain hexes.

Reinforcement Roll for Turn 4

Roll	Reinforcements enter
1-3	the entry triangles on the north-eastern mountain ridge, including the corners
4-6	the entry triangles on the north-western mountain ridge, including the corners
7-10	(printed in the source as "the entry triangles on the north-eastern mountain ridge, including the corners"; S-5 of the rules says on a 7-10 they can enter anywhere along these edges)

The Counters (Die Marker)

The counters in BoFA have different colours, for better distinction and to simplify play. The following colours exist:

Bard and his 6 counters of the Men of Lake-town are medium blue.
Bilbo, Gwaihir and the 4 Giant Eagles are light blue.
Beorn, Gandalf, Thorin and Dain with his 8 Dwarves are grey.
Thranduil and his 20 Elf counters are green.
Bolg with his 5 bodyguards are yellow with red lettering.
Azug with the 18 counters of his tribe are red with black lettering.
Thuk with the 17 counters of his tribe are black with white lettering.
Thak with the 15 counters of his tribe are orange with black lettering.
Osag with the 10 counters of his tribe are red with white lettering.
Gurash with the 10 counters of his tribe are yellow with black lettering.
The 8 wolves are brown with black lettering.
The 5 wargs are brown with dark-brown lettering.

All counters are printed with information that is important for the game. The symbols correspond to the weapon type the unit in question uses. Leaders and characters are provided with silhouettes.

The two numbers printed at the bottom of each counter stand (from left to right) for the combat strength and the movement value. Archers have an additional value in parentheses, printed in the middle of the counter. This is the bow value.
Combat strength is used in combat.
Leaders and characters have a combat strength that is normally used in combat, but which is also used for other purposes in the Standard Game (see Standard Game LEADERS AND CHARACTERS).
The movement value is the maximum number of movement points that a counter can spend in the movement phase (see TERRAIN TABLE).
The bow value on the archer units is used to determine the maximum range and the strength of the shot (see ARCHERY FIRE).
All counters are printed on both sides. They begin the game with the side on which the highest value is printed. When a counter suffers a hit, it is turned over to the weaker side. A counter that already lies on the weaker side and suffers another hit is removed from the game. The reduced side, or half-strength side, is provided with a black or white line along the lower edge of the counter.

Sample counters shown (combat strength - movement value): Goblins with scimitars 2-5; Giant Eagles 3-10; Thorin 4-5; Gurash 3-6; Gandalf 5-7; goblin archers 4(4)-5; Elf archers 7(6)-7; Dwarves with war axes 7-4; spearmen 7-7; axemen 3-5; wolf riders 5-7; wolves 2-8; wargs 4-8.