This scenario is a large battle for up to six players. An alliance of three armies is at war with an opposing alliance of three armies. A vital pass is the current focus of their attention. One army is attempting to hold it against two of the opposing armies whilst it waits for its two allies to reinforce it. However, the third enemy army has found a path round the vital pass and is now in the defender's rear. Will the pass fall, or will the reinforcements arrive in time?

You will need six standard, 24AP 'Hordes of the Things' armies for this scenario. Any six armies will do in theory, but care should be taken to make sure that they are not too incompatible. The army that is holding the pass at the start of the scenario should have a reasonable defensive capability, and no side should combine Clerics or Paladins with Magicians if this can be avoided. When we first played this scenario we used Aztecs, Orcs and Pirates attacking Wood Elves, Narnians and Renaissance Italians. However, we have tried it with other armies and the game was equally good.

One side is termed the Defenders, the other the Attackers.

The scenario should be played along the long axis of a table approximately 3000p x 6000p (30" x 60" if using 15mm figures). The long axis of the table runs north-south.

The basic terrain for this scenario is given on the map below:

<- 1200p ->
+---------+---------+-----+ A
|            o            | |
|            o            |1200p
|            o            | |
|            o            | |
+            o            + v
|X###        o        ###X|
|XXX####     o    #####XXX|    N
|XXX####     o    #####XXX|   / \
|X###        o       ####X|    | 
+            o            +    |
|            o            |    | 
|            o            |
|            o            |
|            o            |
|            o            |
+            o            +
|            o            |
|            o            |
|            o            |
|            o            |
|            o            |
+            o            +
|            o            |
|            o            |
|            o            |
|            o            |
|            o            |
+---------+---------+-----+

       o = Road
       X = Impassable Terrain
       # = Bad Going

The impassable terrain should be such things as mountains, water or inpenetrable jungle. I should be impassable to all ground troops. Players should decide whether Aerials should be allowed to cross it, but if they are then they should not be allowed to end a move in it.

The bad going can be anything the players agree on.

The gap between the impassable terrain should be such that 12 elements can just about cover it in a line; approximately 2000p. Some of this will be bad going, of course.

The terrain for the rest of the table should should be determined by the players by whatever means they deem fit. Possibilities are to allow one side to choose the terrain, and the other to select whether they want the attacking or defending force, or to allow both sides to alternate in laying two or three terrain items each. The three reinforcement entry points should be relatively clear of bad going, to allow the armies an unimpeded entry onto the table. In addition, the standard rule that at least half of the battlefield must be flat, good going still applies. (When I played the scenario, I set up the terrain in advance, to save time, but allowed the opposition to decide whether they wanted to attack or defend.)

Set-Up

The Attackers should select two armies to assault the pass, and one to be sent on the flank march. The two assaulting armies should be set up within 600p of the northern edge. The other army should select either the eastern or western edge as its point of entry; this information should not be revealed to the defender.

The Defenders should select one army to defend the pass. This should be set up at least 1800p from the northern edge. The other two defending armies will enter the table later, one at the southern edge and the other on the opposite edge to the Attackers' flank march.

Although each side is an alliance, their forces should be treated as three separate armies. On each turn they roll their PIP dice simultaneously, but all of the troops in one army must be moved before any troops in another army can do so. Troops from different armies may not group move and are not treated as friends for the purposes of interpenetration or recoils. They may provide overlap support for each other however. Combats are resolved in any order at the discretion of the (up to) three players controlling the side.

When an army is defeated it becomes demoralised and the special rules for this apply. The only exception to the standard demoralisation rules is that the alliance is not considered to have lost until all three of its armies are defeated.

All Defender armies treat the south edge as their baseline for the purposes of bringing on Hordes or for fleeing. The two on table Attacker armies treat the northern edge as their baseline. The flank marching Attacker uses its edge of entry as its baseline, with Hordes etc appearing in the centre of their entry zone.

Three armies (one Attacker and two Defenders) start off table. These armies should roll a PIP dice as normal, but keep track of the accumulated score. They enter on the turn in which this accumulated score exceeds their activation number.

The activation numbers for each army are:

The flank march appears on the eastern or western edge 2400p from the southern edge.

The first Defender reinforcement appears at the centre of the southern edge.

The second Defender reinforcement appears on the opposite edge to that chosen by the flank march. The centre-point of its entry zone is 2400p from the southern edge. (Note: if the flank march has not yet appeared, the controlling player must reveal on which flank it is to appear.)

Elements of a reinforcing army may enter the table anywhere within 600p of their entry point.

Not all of an army has to enter on the first turn in which it is eligible to do so. However, PIPs must be spent if they are available to bring on troops currently off table before those on table can be moved. Measure to the point of entry when determining possible extra PIP cost for bringing troops onto the table. If an army which is demoralised has troops off table, then these are considered to have fled and may no longer enter. If the army's general is off-table, then any move by an on-table element, apart from initial entry, is made with the extra PIP cost.

A side wins when all opposing armies are demoralised or if it is in undisputed control of the pass and the other side does not wish to press the attack.

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