Oathmark Test Game Part 1: Turns 1 and 2

I have been playing a bit on and off the last couple of days, and I think it is now time to start reporting the events.

I have previously shown the initial positions of the armies, but for the sake of completeness, here it is again:

I used the option of not rolling for activation if units were only to advance (Forward Unto Battle), but as a pack of Wolves started moving towards the center of the Alliance formation, the Minas Tirith Archers decided to move forward and then loose their arrows at the closing enemies.

Three Wolves bought it, and ther was much rejoicing throughout the Allied formations.

Not much else of any consequence happened, and here are some pics of the battlefield at the end of Turn 1:

A view from the Alliance's side

From the right side of the Isengard position

From the left side of the Isengard position.

 Turn 2 saw the Wolves speeding towards the Alliance lines, only to be met by a hail of arrows, first from the Minas Tirith Archers.

 The Uruk-Hai Crossbowmen (Orc Archers) advanced , opened up, and took down two of the Rohen Archers (I think this game needs some range modifiers for shooting, btw.).

 Then, the Dwarven Archers finished off the remaining Wolves.
Do not attempt frontal attacks with those pesky animals if the enemy has Archers! They are probably better off skulking around at the flanks, seizing any opportunities of attacking weakened or exposed units.

The rest of Turn 2 was just moving and maneuvering, so nothing really interesting happened.

Here are pics of the situation at the end of Turn 2:

The slowly advancing battle line of the Alliance

The not-quite-so well-ordered Isengarders.

Thoughts so far:

Being used to the fast and very simple movement system of God of Battles, I find the movement rules a wee bit clunky. I am aware that they are simplified when compared to WFB, but still. The ability to move sidewards and backwards is nice, though, something I miss in GoB where you always end up facing the direction you moved.

I had missed the 'Fire Over' special rule which means that archers can track LOS through a friendly unit directly in front of them, and my Dwarven Archers are probably going to pay for that mistake, as their Linebreakers are not fast enough to move through them. I think that an army with good archers (Elves?) will be able to pull off a very effective defensive game, powdering an advancing enemy with arrows before making a counter attack with the units in front of the archers.

Which brings me to the third point: As mentioned, I would like to see some Target Number modifiers for range, perhaps just a +1 for over half range, so that the effect of missile fire at long range is somewhat softened up a bit. It may just be my dice rolling (too small a sample to decide), but until now I am somewhat surprised at how easily casualties are inflicted.

Wolves. I really think they should have the 'Nimble' special rule in order to let them move through Rough Ground without penalty. They are, after all, quadrupedal predators well used to hunting in the wilds, and it would somewhat offset their relatively low Defense. Not enough for headlong charges, but still...

The game plays a little slow in solo mode, as I have to look up both units' stats whenever there is interaction, but that is a minor thing - I get the Fight and Defense values repeated again and again, which helps me memorizing them. I expect this to run more smoothly when playing a live opponent.

When organizing the forces, it annoyed me somewhat that all the profiles are fixed without any possibility to customize the units. For instance, I have a lot of different spearmen units, some with no armour and no shields, some with no armour and shields, some with hauberks and shields, and some with heavy armour and shields (and then the Uruk-Hai pikemen with heavy armour and no shields). I would like to be able to differentiate all these slightly, but I have had to squeeze them all into the existing profiles, some of them very difficultly. Well. maybe future expansions will see more options.

All of the above is, of course, 'Feinschmeckerei' as our southern neighbours would put it. Overall, the game, as I have experienced it so far, plays quite well. I like the mechanics that mean that you only roll 4 or 5 dice (sometimes fewer). I think that rolling more dice instead of having to apply the Target Number modifiers would be faster, but I guess that it is possible to learn the modifiers by heart when playing often.

I have started playing Turn 3 today, but as the weather sometimes permit some gardening activities, my progress is slow. I may be able to finish Turn 3 tomorrow, but only after we return from Haderslev in Sønderjylland, as we have to pick up some furniture from my wife's late mother's house (she passed away in the autumn, and the house has been up for sale ever since, and this blasted pandemic is not making things easier).