Well, the HOTT First Annual Tring tournament has come and gone, and it's time for the inevitable reports. Here's mine. I took my Narnian army: 1 Hero general (Peter, Edmund, Susan and Lucy Pevensie), 1 Paladin (Aslan), 1 Behemoth (Giant), 2 Beasts (Lions etc), 2 Riders (Centaurs etc), 1 Warband (Dwarves), 2 Hordes (Assorted animals, fauns and dryads). The Stronghold was my white Walt Disney castle.

The Narnians defended against Jay's Orcs: 5 Blades (inc. the General), 4 Riders (on wolves), 1 Aerial Hero (The infamous winged Goblin).

Things started badly for Narnia when it became obvious that their deployment had left the Stronghold exposed to attack. A Orc Rider and the Aerial Hero made a lunge for it, and only the Narnian Beasts could stop it. They failed, losing a Beast in the process. The rest of the Narnians initiated a rapid advance, hoping to kill the Orc general before the attack on the Stronghold could be mounted. They were very successful against the Orc Riders opposing their right, and drove back the Blades in the centre. This made it harder for the Orc general to coordinate the Aerial Hero and lone Rider on the other side of the table (5 PIPs needed to move them both), and lessened the threat to the Stronghold. The Orc general was now under pressure from Aslan, supported by the giant and the Pevensie children; Orc Riders and Blades were falling to the Narnian assault. A desperate assault on the Stronghold by the Riders alone was driven back, before Aslan polished off the Orc general, giving the battle to the Narnians.

Orc losses were (I think) 2 Riders and 2 Blades (including the general). Narnian losses were two Beasts and a Rider.

The Narnians attacked Thomo's Lizardmen: 3 Behemoths (inc. the General), 6 Hordes (Lizardmen), 2 Riders (Mobile Lizardmen), 1 Flier (Pterosaur).

The Narnians lined up with Beasts and the Warband on the right, hoping to exploit some woods there, the Hordes and the powerful elements in the centre, and the Riders on the left. The Lizards matched the Riders with their own, put the Behemoths in the centre, and a phalanx of Hordes against the Beasts and Warband. The Narnian Riders advanced against their opposite numbers, but were driven back (with losses). The Lizardman Behemoths advanced in the centre, the Hordes advanced against the Narnian right, and the pterosaur moved to slow the attempt to reach the woods by the Narnian Beasts. The Narnians tried to redeploy to meet the Behemoth threat, but left it too late, and got hit with matchups they didn't want. Aslan went down under a giant flipper, but a Narnian Horde held its own against the odds. Things looked bleak for Narnia, until the realisation that the three Behemoths had exposed flanks. The two end Behemoths were attacked in the flank, therefore, and one was destroyed, unable to recoil when it met his general.. This left the Narnian giant able to slip behind the Lizardman general, preventing its recoil when the Pevensie children forced him to recoil, and destroying it. Victory number two to the Narnians.

Lizardman losses were 2 Behemoths (including the General). Narnian losses were the Paladin and a Rider.

Jeffro invaded Narnia with John Carter and the Martians of Helium: 1 Hero general (The Gentleman of Virginia and the incomparable Dejah Thoris), 4 Blades (Heliumitic Swordsmen), 3 Fliers (One man Scout Flyers), 2 Airboats (Warships).

The Martians found themselves hampered by the Narnian insistence of fighting in heavily wooded terrain, as it made it more difficult for their aerials to maneuver. They attacked the Narnian right with the Blades, but despite Flier support were outflanked by Narnian Riders, and lost two Blades. The Airboats attacked the Beasts on the Narnian left, but were hindered by woods, and driven back. Narnian maneuver room was hindered by Martian Flyers, held as a reserve and brought out to exploit unprotected areas of the Narnian line. With last orders approaching, Aslan issued a challenge to John Carter ('Are you going to fight me or not, you wuss!'). With the hot fighting blood of his Virginia ancestors coursing through his veins, John Carter led the Martian line forward in an attack, only to be swiftly dispatched by Aslan's mighty paws. 3-0 to Narnia. Martian losses were the Hero general and 2 Blades. The Narnians lost nothing.

The Narnians proved to be a very useful army, with an interesting combination of troops. Mainly mounted, it is pretty mobile, and capable of sudden bursts of speed when required. The Beasts and Warband give it the ability to compete in rough going, and the Hero, Paladin and Behemoth give it a strong centre. At only ten elements, it is vulnerable to larger armies, and needs to cover its flanks with terrain.

1) If you place the Stronghold in a particular place, deploy your army to protect it!

2) If you can't stop an enemy attack in on place, launch one of your own in another.

3) Behemoths, though powerful, are vulnerable if their flanks aren't protected.

4) Aerial armies don't like woods.

5) John Carter can never resist a challenge. Especially when last orders looms.

As far as I could tell, a good evening was had by all, and an interesting variety of armies were in use. Two Strongholds stood out; a serpent decorated gateway in use by Elves (?), and apparently available from Ainsty Castings, and Jay's simple, but effective rock wall for his Orcs, made of cork. Thomo's Lizardmen were, in my opinion, the prettiest army. Many thanks to Thomo for organising, and the rest of the Tring club for hosting, the event.

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