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Enarwaen

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    Advice?

    in The Green Dragon

    Posted

    Was it a crown?

    The Dwarves (atleast the House of Durin) had several Legendary Items and Artifacts (supposed to be lost e.g. in Khazad-dûm) like Durin's Axe and the Crown of Durin (which rests in the Mirrormere, till Durin awakes again) or think of the Arkenstone or the sword Orcrist that rests upon Thorin Oakenshield's breast in his tomb in Erebor.

    Not to mention all those wonderous items that Telchar once created during his life in the First Age (e.g. Narsil, Angrist, the Dragon-helm of Dor-lómin ...)

    Spying on Sauron?

    in The Silmarillion/Unfinished Tales

    Posted

    hear, hear nobles all ...

    It is told in Appendix A (I, iii) to The Lord of the Rings that the palantír of Emyn Beraid "was unlike the others and not in accord with them; it looked only to the Sea. Elendil set it there so that he could look back with 'straight sight' and see Eressëa in the vanished West; but the bent seas below covered Númenor for ever." Elendil's vision of Eressëa in "the palantír of Emyn Beraid is told of also

    in Of the Rings of Power (The Silmarillion p. 292); "it is believed that thus he would at whiles see far away even the Tower of Avallónë upon Eressëa, where the Master-stone abode, and yet abides." It is notable that in the present account there is no reference to this Master-stone.

    and

    It is said that the towers of Emyn Beraid were not built indeed by the Exiles of Númenor, but were raised by Gil-galad for Elendil, his friend; and the Seeing Stone of Emyn Beraid was set in Elostirion, the tallest of the towers. Thither Elendil would repair, and thence he would gaze out over the sundering seas, when the yearning of exile was upon him; and it is believed that thus he would at whiles see far away even the Tower of Avallónë upon Eressëa, where the Masterstone abode, and yet abides. These stones were gifts of the Eldar to Amandil, father of Elendil, for the comfort of the Faithful of Númenor in their dark days, when the Elves might come no longer to that land under the shadow of Sauron. They were called the Palantíri, those that watch from afar; but all those that were brought to Middle-earth long ago were lost.

    So now - this suggests that there indeed is/was a master-stone at Eressëa and that the Palantír located in Emyn Beriad was the only stone 'capable' of reaching into the undying west (if it's 'user' has enough willpower and strength). Alas this very stone was taken away when Elrond and Co. left Middle-earth after the War of the Ring.

    Fëanor was (probably) the creator of the Palantíri (a concept that Tolkien introduced only after 'completion' of LotR into the Quenta Silmarillion) and it is possible that there may be more Palantíri in existance in the Blessed Realm itself - as well as a Master-stone as described above.

    About the need for 'spying' on Sauron ...

    Manwë and Varda are seldom parted, and they remain in Valinor. Their halls are above the everlasting snow, upon Oiolossë, the uttermost tower of Taniquetil, tallest of all the mountains upon Earth. When Manwë there ascends his throne and looks forth, if Varda is beside him, he sees further than all other eyes, through mist, and through darkness, and over the leagues of the sea. And if Manwë is with her, Varda hears more clearly than all other ears the sound of voices that cry from east to west, from the hills and the valleys, and from the dark places that Melkor has made upon Earth.

    i think the Valar were very well aware of Sauron's doings - although they chose not to directly interfere during the Second Age (save for the Destruction of Númenor) but they did send the Istari (and probably Glorfindel as well - although it can debated if he was sent earlier e.g. during the Second Age) during the early Third Age. They simply chose a different way of action (as e.g. in the First Age - where they actively took part in the events) and 'coaxed' the free peoples of Middle-earth into dealing with this 'new' Shadow themselves.

    But i doubt they relied on devices like Palantíri and i'm sure (as Adam pointed out) they had other means (e.g. Eagles as Manwë's messengers come to mind)

    Ardaquenta Quick Guide

    in General Ardaquenta Discussion

    Posted

    Welcome to the Ardaquenta Quick Guide!

    This thread will be updated as necessary with any points that may help our Community to improve their Wiki-skills and increasing the joy in using TLA's Ardaquenta.

    1. Introduction

    First off – a Wiki is an open and dynamic ‘database’ that easily handles the creation and editing of huge collections of articles. It features an intuitive category system, a powerful search engine and even support to ‘link’ different Wiki’s together.

    The name ‘Wiki’ derives from the hawaiian term ‘wiki wiki’ – which means ‘quick’ or ‘fast’.

    2. Basic Editing

    Now let’s move on to basic editing. Creating articles is fairly easy – you just go into the edit mode of a page …

    aq_help01.jpg

    …and cllick the edit-tab

    aq_help02.jpg

    and start editing.

    You will notice some buttons above the edit-window – which are basically self-explanatory.

    2.1. Internal Linking

    aq_button01.jpg

    Internal Link -> pressing this will put a [[Link title]] in your edit window. Just change the name to your desired article name and you’re set. Note please that with just setting an [[internal link]] you don’t necessarily create a new article – you first must save your current set of edits and thus revert back into the ‘Viewing’-mode – there you click on the newly created internal link.

    aq_help03.jpg

    As you can see the Wiki adds the link to the internal page. Once you click on this link you’re automatically transferred to the edit window of the new article. Only when you save now – then the new article is physically present in the Wiki. Otherwise it’s just a link to a (yet) non-existing article.

    2.2. External Linking

    aq_button02.jpg

    External Link -> pressing this will put a [http://www.example.com link title] into your edit window. Just change the url and the link title to appropiate values – and you’re set.

    2.3. Headlines

    aq_button03.jpg

    Headline (Level 2) -> this will put a == Headline text == into your edit window. The amount of '=' marks the level of the headline. In larger articles, the Wiki will automatically create an index for every headline found using this markup code – according to their level. This is a quite handy way to let the Wiki deal with indexing.

    Examples:

    = Headline 1 =

    == Headline 1.1 ==

    == Headline 1.2 ==

    === Headline 1.2.1 ===

    == Headline 1.3 ==

    …

    2.4. Categories

    [[Category:category_name]]

    This categorizes the current article under a category_name. If the category doesn’t exist, it will be created. You can also put a category under another category – thus creating subcategories. The only thing to remember here is to work from bottom up – meaning you’ll have to create the sub-category before creating the main-category.

    Setting up categories should only be attempted by experienced wiki users. If unsure just contact our friendly Editors.

    2.5. Images

    Embedding an existing image, that has already been integrated into the wiki – with just setting up an article (with the image name as article name) or using the physical image location:

    http://www.wildfiregames.com/~documents/images/tuor.jpg

    -----------------

    more coming soon, looking forward to your input!

    Flame of Udun

    in The Green Dragon

    Posted

    he hasn't 'made' any Balrogs - but merely corrupted and swayed them to his side. The Balrogs were initially mighty 'spirits' of fire. In Morgoth's service they took up physical shapes which then were beings of dread and terror, wreathed in shadow and flames ...

    B)

    Flame of Udun

    in The Green Dragon

    Posted

    that is in reference to Morgoth's first stronghold in Middle-earth called Utumno (in Quenya) and it's Sindarin counterpart is Udûn

    and since it's the Balrog we are talking about - i'd say 'Flame of Udûn' is just yet another name for our fiery friends.

    Sauron naming the 'valley' behind Morannon (the Black Gate) 'Udûn' as well is probably nothing more than a deliberate hommage to his old master's mighty stronghold

    hope that helps!

    "The war of the ring" By Nexus

    in The Green Dragon

    Posted

    hmmm i honestly i don't remember how many turns we played - the 'real' game lasted from 22:00 to 01:15 - but that was interrupted several times - so a net gaming time of approx 2.5 hours i'd say.

    i've bolstered Moria thrice very early in the game (pre Rohan and Northern attacks) - once with a Leader and regular unit - then with one elite unit and once with two regular orcses. so Moria had an army count of 6 + 1 leader.

    about stopping the Fellowship - i've quite early attached a Nazgûl on their trail (using the Character-action ... and the Nazgûl having an unlimited range ...) and always depositing atleast 2 of my red dice into the hunt box - i've always had atleast two dice to throw the hunting-check on the fellowship - and it frequently turned out a 6 - seems it really was my lucky night. the Nazgûl sitting in the same spot also helped since this gives you an extra hunt-roll!

    maybe my BIL played too defensively - but we'll see how it turns out the next time 8)

    "The war of the ring" By Nexus

    in The Green Dragon

    Posted

    @Jordan - that's correct - the english version would have been far more expensive and so i settled with the cheaper and faster delivery from Germany.

    so now - here comes my AAR (After Action Report)

    my BIL (brother-in-law) and myself set up the game last saturday evening in about 30 minutes time. after that the strenous task of learning all the needed game rules for each special case always forced us to go back to the manual. the initial starting difficulties were overcame quickly and so the 'War of the Ring' began.

    He played the Free Peoples and i had a go with Sauron and his allies. The Free Peoples (or short FP) are somewhat handicapped since they cannot recruit armies or move into other lands or realms when their diplomatic stance is not 'At War'. since they are also atleast 2 steps behind Sauron on the diplomatical ladder this is a definitive disadvantage.

    Sauron has 2 allies - Saruman at Isengard (with his Warg Riders and Uruk-hai) and the Southrons/Easterlings with their Archers and Mumakîls. The Shadow (me) quickly had all three nations at war and so i could advance quickly while forcing the FP into the defensive.

    I launched a two way simultanous attack against the Iron Hills in the north and against the Fords of Isen in western Rohan. Saruman's forces quickly overran the puny defences and besieged Helm's Deep. My northern Easterling force was not so lucky and encountered stiff resistance by the Dwarves from Erebor that boosted the defenses at the Iron Hills. (curse those stunted knee-cap biters) :P

    After 5 rounds of besieging Helm's Deep finally was mine (due lack of reinforcements). This was the time when the Witch-king led the forces of Minas Morgul and the main army coming from Morannon against Minas Tirith. At the same time a column of Southrons consisting of 6 Archers and 2 Mumakîl attacked Pelargir. The Witch-king quickly took Osgiliath and advanced towards Minas Tirith - boosting his army with the second column from Morannon. So Minas Tirith was besieged (an army of 6 regular pikemen and 2 elite knights with two leaders vs. my army of 3 elite trolls and 7 regular orcses along with the Witch-king and 2 other Nazgûl leaders). The siege lasted approx. 7 or 8 rounds - with some extreme luck on my side - i had a streak of 6es (which are needed when besieging an enemy fortress) which steadily decimated the defenders of Gondor :P.

    After taking Minas Tirith the Southrons veered towards Dol Amroth (another fortress) supported by the two Nazqûl from Minas Tirith.

    In the mean time my northern army took a beating from the combined forces of the Dwarves and the Men of Dale and was after 3 turns decimated to naught. The returning Nazgûl leader got what he deserved and was assigned to dish-washing duties in the Dark Tower for the next Age.

    While Dol Amroth was under siege - the combined forces of Saruman and the Witch-king assaulted Meduseld and thus crushing the opposition in Rohan. After some mopping up the combined army moved north towards Lórien.

    Meanwhile the Northern Alliance (basically Arnor, Shire, northern Rhovanion) tried to make a move towards Mt. Gundabad - which was thwarted due to some 'unexpected' reinforcements :P

    A few turns later the combined army of Mordor and Isengard - along with the forces of Moria besieged Lórien - and while taking a massive beating from the assorted Elf-Lords they finally remained victorious due to their numerical advantages and (again) some bad luck with the dice on the side of my BIL.

    After conquering the fourth fortress the victory conditions were fullfilled and the Forces of Darkness were declared victor.

    The Fellowship was time and time again forced to retreat due some aggressive hunting (there was always atleast one Nazgûl following their trail) as they left Imladris. They tried to pass the Misty Mountains north of Moria and managed to get down almost to Lórien - but that was when they got cut off by the forces emanating out of Dol Guldur that were sent out to guard the rear of the armies busy with Lórien.

    in conclusion - i can only say - a very well crafted game - with many details i like - now i'm curious to try the game with the full rule-set - which should give the Free Peoples more of an edge - because they do have a set of very strong characters - who can dip the favor of a battle towards their advantage quite easily.

    here come some more pics - that were taken after the game.

    Gondor and Mordor

    Rohan, Isengard up to Tharbad ... all clear :P

    Lórien after the Siege - only Thranduil and Elrond holding tight ...

    The victorious northern army moving south ... but too late ... har har har

    Next stop - Mithlond ... muahahaha

    "The war of the ring" By Nexus

    in The Green Dragon

    Posted

    so now - we've completed our first introductory game ... i'll file in an AAR (After Action Report) later on (as well as some pics - only pre and post game :\ )

    the result in short - the Forces of Darkness won - by conquering Minas Tirith, Dol Amroth, Helms Deep and Lothlórien !

    Gondor and Rohan were ultimately crushed. Only the Dwarves from the Iron Hills proved tough advesaries - as did the Elves of Lórien and Rivendell.

    more tomorrow *yawn*

    I proudly present...Enarwaen!

    in General TLA Discussion

    Posted

    sure - just shoot! (since the week isn't over yet - i'll be glad to answer)

    Yes - that sort of thing happened quite frequently - where some concepts (which where more or less worked out) are dropped at a blink of an eye. sometimes it starts harmlessly as an internal nitpick, sometimes someone stumbles upon some yet-undiscovered line or paragraph in one of the HoME volumes. and sometimes one of the forumers start a train-of-thought that leads to such things.

    i guess some (currently) planned features will be obsolete after the first or second revision of the Design Document. but thats a natural process in Game Design - since you've got such a flurry of ideas and concepts - that not all can make it into the game. So you need to streamline and sometimes make necessary (but also hurting) sacrifices for the benefit of the game.

    one current example would be the 'Supply Stat' for units. Shane (ElfTheHunter) came up with this idea and we pretty much discussed it thoroughly (it even made an entry into the techlists and into the naval concepts the game) but we put the whole 'feature' on hold - because currently we're unsure if this is really needed.

    we'll see how this issue will be decided ...

    thank you Anco for your excellent question ;)

  21. BfME & Context-Sensitive Interfaces

    in Tutorials, references and art help

    Posted

    hey guys - sorry to 'invade' your topic here

    a game that has a quite nice context-sensitive interface is 'Neverwinter Nights' from Bioware (a D&D fantasy rpg) - although in hectic situations it becomes (atleast to me) almost unbear/playable. good thing the game comes with a possibility to pause (pressing space) anytime so you can issue (or better queue up) commands.

    i agree that a symbiosis between conventional and context-sensitive interfaces is a good way to go ... as is the concept of limitting the context-sensitive interaction more to the 'static' and 'slower' game items (i.e. buildings, resource gathering ...)

    anyway - thanks for the interesting read(s) in here ;)

    RotK EE ... out today!

    in The Green Dragon

    Posted

    for me the major improvement of TTT EE is the 'conversion' of 'Filmamir' abit more into the 'Bookamir' that we (us - the book readers -> nerd central :P ) know (i'm speaking of Faramir - in case you didn't know that joke)

    I don't care if the EEs throw in more stuff from the books. I care if it works better as a movie or not than the theatrical releases.

    this is where i have to disagree ;) - but you could call me (abit) influenced :P

    btw - did you already check out the easter eggs on the RotK EE disc 1 and 2?

    go to chapter selection - last page - last chapter and press down - a golden ring should appear - press ok/select/whatever and enjoy. this is on both discs! (and the same applies for FotR EE and TTT EE in case you didn't know)

    Silmarillion Movie. . .

    in The Silmarillion/Unfinished Tales

    Posted

    @adam - yep, i agree. but you don't know what the greedy execs will come up with AFTER putting the Hobbit on celluloid.

    regarding 'The Hobbit' - New Line Cinema (who financed the LotR trilogy) has the necessary rights to film 'The Hobbit' - but MGM owns the distribution rights - and since Time Warner (mother company of New Line) failed to acquire MGM when it was for sale a few months back (Sony bought it) it seems currently unlikely that 'The Hobbit' will enter production. Also PJ is currently filming 'King Kong' and he hasn't decided whether to return to Middle-earth or not.

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