{JAMMERS! -Good- ONLY!}Looks good. Here are a few points.
MM: Sounds right, but I believe we forgot about the Redhorn pass. I don't know if we want to claim it, but we should be aware that it's the only way for good to get across the misty mountains except for the high pass.
Turvok: I guess that he will focus most of his power on C mirkwood. And IDK about what he will do with Gundabad.
Thrawn: I think you are right in that he will be aggressive, but I feel like he might be better than we think. And should be dealt with caution. Which I will use, like always.
CC: sounds right. He will proably field large amounts of pikes, and crossbows. So bring pleanty of your own arrchers, and some siege.
Sham: I don't know either, he is a good general but not a great one. That sounds like what he would do.
MLB: I agree with you.
Plan: got it, hold them back.
Dale: I'm going to send groups of 3000 pikes and crossbows, with a few cav, to , Celduin, W rhovanion, S rhovanion, brown lands, E rhovanion, and the Dol Guldor HQ to attack and claim those regions.
Beornings: They will hold the gladin fields, and the northern VOA, as well as the high pass. Mirkwood is going to get the lower VOA I think.
Lothlorion: I have Lothlorion, rex gave it to me. I shall rush the Dale, and claim the celebrant and the wold. I will also claim the Lower vale for Rex.
{JAMMERS! -GOOD- ONLY!}MM: The idea is that he won't be able to get to Redhorn. He will try to capture it, but I don't think he'll get to that until either Hollin or the Dimrill are secured. Nonetheless, be sure to get it before him, if only to have it as a small foothold. We will also have the Forodwaith and Gundabad in the North, but that's a long way to go for HQs like Rohan. Unforunately, though, Redhorn will be useless as a crossing point unless we own both Hollin and the Dimrill, which is unlikely as that'd mean completely boxing in Moria.
Thrawn: That was the first impression that I got too, but I'm not so sure now that I've talked to him a bit. I certainly don't expect him to be incompetent, but I don't think he has the experience to make sure he doesn't expose himself at all. My guess is that he's skilled in theory, but lacking in practice. So of course use caution as always, but keep an eye out for openings.
{JAMMERS! -GOOD- ONLY!} So, updates! I'm going to start from the beginning again, just to make sure everything gets put down neatly.
First off, it looks like all HQs are going to start fully generated. That means that we can all use every one of our units right off the bat, but it also means that our raids on the different sub-HQs are going to meet much more resistance earlier on, and won't be able to limit their troops as well. Second, these are our opponents, along with my suspicions of what they'll do:
Moria/Goblin-town, MM (and Thrawn, I think): MM has made most of his plans pretty clear now. He's intent on capturing the High Pass, and I don't believe he'll give up until he owns it (even at the cost of missed opportunites). Let's use this to our advantage. Expect about three thousand Goblins going to the Gladden Fields on the first day, and nine thousand to the High Pass. I haven't been able to gather quite as much about Moria, but there isn't a whole lot he can do there. It looks like he'll be putting a little more emphasis on Hollin than the Dimrill Dale, though, so expect ten thousand troops to Dimrill and about fourteen to Hollin. Beyond these first-day moves (which hopefully he won't get past too quickly, with our troops), I expect general expansion from him, without too much focus on individual key regions. Keep in mind that he likes tanks and Trolls, so bring some artillery if you can if you're going to fight him.
Dol Guldur/Gundabad, Tuvok: Like MM, I'm guessing that he'll try to expand as quickly as possible in every direction, but I'm also guessing that he'll put more focus on Central Mirkwood and probably Angmar. If my memory serves me right, he'll have a lot of Trolls and heavy infantry.
Rhun/Khand, Thrawn: Since Thrawn's new, I sadly don't have much to go off of for him. However, using my top-notch Sherlock Holmes deduction skills, I've got a few ideas. Based upon a few things, including his username, the way he talks, and just my general first impression of him (in other words, I have absolutely nothing of any weight to back up my suspicions ), my guess is that he'll be quite aggressive. Expect him to expand as fast as possible, and he may even attack the Iron Hills right from the get-go. However, despite this aggression, he doesn't appear to have a whole lot of tactical experience (based upon his conversations in the LotR Cafe, so I actually have something to back this up with ). Putting these two traits together, there's a good chance that he'll be somewhat reckless in his movements. When fighting him, stand strong against his attacks, but keep some troops and an eye out for any openings he gives you. Once you find one, strike hard and fast, and either his army will cave in upon itself or he'll leave the attacked troops to destruction.
Isengard/Dunland, CC (and maybe MM): CC is probably our most experienced opponent (though I never did get to fight him), but also the most orthodox. That's not to say that fighting him will be any easier, though. His Dunlendings will probably move straight to Tharbad and Hollin, while most of his Uruk-hai will go for the West Emnet. A few, however, may actually try to strike Andrast, though I'm not so sure about that. As I said, I never got to fight him, but I have gathered a few things. In combat, he will know how to respond to your moves, so don't expect victory to come easily even if you manage to get the upper-hand on him. But while he will be crafty in his attacks, he will also be relatively conventional (at least compared to others). Watch yourself, and make sure you don't leave yourself exposed.
Mordor/Minas Morgul, Shamrock: Unfortunately, I don't have much experience with Shamrock. My suspicions, though, tell me that his Minas Morgul troops will move to Osgiliath and whatever lies southwards, while Mordor will split between eastern Rohan and Osgiliath. He'll probably leave the North and East to others.
Harad/Umbar, MLB: MLB I should know well, though I don't. Despite that, my guess is that Harad will move north, probably to Osgiliath, but maybe Lebennin too. Umbar will probably attack somewhere on Gondor's southern coast, though he may take inspiration from Rex and attack the Grey Havens or some other place in Eriador.
To summarize, our plan is to hold back Evil's expansion. Focus on the bottleneck regions and stop the enemy there. The few border-regions we have, the more concentrated our troops will be and the few places we can fail. Because Erebor will be focusing solely on Gundabad at first, most of you will be outnumbered, but don't panic. With most of the battles you'll be in, your goal isn't so much to defeat the enemy as it is to simply stand in their way. You don't need to win, you just can't lose. And if you find that you're not well prepared against the enemy, or simply that your troops won't be able to hold on much longer, let us know here as soon as you can. Tell us where you're in trouble, what you're against, and what you need, and we'll get it to you. Some armies will be less pressured than others and should be able to send reinforcements if needed. The key to the plan working is communication and cooperation. Don't wait to ask for help until it's too late, and don't pull troops from other places to stay alive unless that's the only option. Chances are, somebody's got a better way to deal with your problem, has less of a need for the troops, or is simply closer. Now, onto the details! This is going HQ by HQ, with a few sub-HQs under their own section (due to having completely different focuses than their parent-HQ):
Erebor/Iron Hills, myself/LB: The Mountain will be acting as the invasion force for the general operation. Our first target will be Gundabad, along with the Forodwaith. Personally, I'll be taking thirteen thousand troops directly to Gundabad. My goal there is to overwhelm and capture it as quickly as possible. Hopefully thirteen thousand will be overkill, so that I can send some as reinforcements to other places, but I'm not counting on that being the case. LB, I'm going to have you take five thousand troops from the Iron Hills straight to the Forodwaith to capture it, then bring a couple hundred to the Withered Heath to secure while leaving the last two thousand or so at the Hills themselves as reinforcements or defense should Thrawn invade. We can re-distribute our troops later, but at first I need you to handle the Iron Hills' movements while I control Erebor to keep things simple (mainly because getting two users to fight to same battles in tandem is just going to make things more difficult for us). Once you capture the Forodwaith, I'll either have you reinforce me at Gundabad, or else go to help someone else (likely somewhere in Eriador).
Dale, 8L: You'll be holding the eastern front and watching our backs while you're at it. You'll mostly be facing Rhun, but probably Dol Guldur and maybe even Mordor too. I need you to move southwards as quickly as possible, covering as much of Rhovanion as you can. You're taking Celduin (and Esgaroth of course) along with any other region to the south that you can beat Evil to (which unfortunately won't be many). Should Thrawn meet you in Celduin, don't get held up there. Leave just enough troops to deal with him, but send as many as you can further south. Besides that, attack any nearby region that's left exposed, and then you may be sent as reinforcements somewhere when the time comes (perhaps the Iron Hills if Thrawn invades, but more likely somewhere against Dol Guldur or Mordor).
Bree/Rivendell, EE: As I said before, you'll probably have one of the hardest jobs here. But remember, most of your battles you don't need to win, you just need to make sure the enemy doesn't expand uncontested. Specifically, you'll have at least three different fronts, and probably five separate battles. I'd recommend sending two thousand Elves to the High Pass and five thousand to Hollin (leaving five hundred at Rivendell). You need to contest both of these regions and make sure the enemy doesn't get past them too quickly. The Beornings should take over for you at the High Pass after a day or two, but you'll need to keep MM from claiming it until they get there. Fortunately, should Eregion fall to the combined attacks of Moria and Dunland, it isn't your last defense. Through expansion by land, the next target is Rivendell itself (though obviously that should be avoided). Bree will need to split its forces between Tharbad and the Angmar area. Tharbad first, though. Hold the enemy at Tharbad, and most of your southern lands should remain safe (assuming the enemy doesn't get too crafty). While a few troops will need to go to the North Downs and Lone Lands, you just need to hold Tuvok back for a short amount of time. Ideally, his troops in Angmar will pull back to reinforce Gundabad, and then later LB can take some Dwarves down to assist you either there or somewhere else. Try not to spend to many troops on securing the local regions, but also don't leave your coast too exposed until MLB's navy is confirmed to be engaged elsewhere.
Beornings, 8L: First priority is to keep MM busy at the High Pass and Gladden Fields. Move troops immediately to both of these regions as needed to deal with him, but also try to capture the Upper Vales of the Anduin (and lower, if you can/if Lothlorien doesn't get it). There's a chance that you may also need to come up to Gundabad, but hopefully not.
Lothlorien, Rex: Keep Moria from expanding beyond the Dimrill Dale. You should also capture Celebrant and the lower Vales of the Anduin, but frustrating MM's advancements is your first priority. If things go well, you may get to go reinforce Rohan, but that won't be until later.
Mirkwood, Rex: You'll need to keep Dol Guldur busy. Get Central Mirkwood, obviously, but from there you'll need to go around Dol Guldur to move southwards. You'll also be a backup for both the eastern and western fronts, so we may call on you if 8L somehow gets overwhelmed.
Edoras/Fangorn, LA: You'll also have a hard job. First priority is to secure the West Emnet and set up a defensive there so that CC can't expand eastwards. You may also have to keep Mordor in check in the East, so keep an eye on Shamrock's movements. Be sure to grab a few regions to your east, including Anorien, Nindalf/Noman Lands, and maybe the Emyn Muil. If things go badly for Lothlorien, your Ents will likely be the first ones we call on.
Minas Tirith/Dol Amroth, LB: Just hold out for us, and we'll get aid to you eventually. Don't worry about going on the offensive, but focus on keeping you three/four enemy HQs back. Try to set up a defense at Pelargir and Osgiliath, as those will be the easiest places to hold. Fortunately, you have the advantage with these two regions. You've got a one-day lead on Minas Morgul going to Osgiliath from Minas Tirith, and a two-day lead on Harad to Pelargir from Dol Amroth. Don't forget to send some troops to Andrast in case CC attacks your backside, and make sure that Anorien gets secured by either you or Rohan. You might also want a small navy to offset the threat of Umbar.
And I believe that should be all. Again, keep tabs on this topic, and don't hesitate to pass any information on. The key to our success is communication and cooperation. If you have any struggles, let us know here and we can try to do something about it. Also make sure that when we start you get your first moves out as early as possible, as that could make the difference in a few of these battles.
I was unaware I had ents. their language is not a fish ent.
(anyone get it?)
I can't believe I had the same awful signature for nearly 8 years. Sorry for disappearing for 2 months, life happened for a bit.
{JAMMERS! -Good- ONLY!}Looks good. Here are a few points.
MM: Sounds right, but I believe we forgot about the Redhorn pass. I don't know if we want to claim it, but we should be aware that it's the only way for good to get across the misty mountains except for the high pass.
Turvok: I guess that he will focus most of his power on C mirkwood. And IDK about what he will do with Gundabad.
Thrawn: I think you are right in that he will be aggressive, but I feel like he might be better than we think. And should be dealt with caution. Which I will use, like always.
CC: sounds right. He will proably field large amounts of pikes, and crossbows. So bring pleanty of your own arrchers, and some siege.
Sham: I don't know either, he is a good general but not a great one. That sounds like what he would do.
MLB: I agree with you.
Plan: got it, hold them back.
Dale: I'm going to send groups of 3000 pikes and crossbows, with a few cav, to , Celduin, W rhovanion, S rhovanion, brown lands, E rhovanion, and the Dol Guldor HQ to attack and claim those regions.
Beornings: They will hold the gladin fields, and the northern VOA, as well as the high pass. Mirkwood is going to get the lower VOA I think.
Lothlorion: I have Lothlorion, rex gave it to me. I shall rush the Dale, and claim the celebrant and the wold. I will also claim the Lower vale for Rex.
{JAMMERS! -GOOD- ONLY!}MM: The idea is that he won't be able to get to Redhorn. He will try to capture it, but I don't think he'll get to that until either Hollin or the Dimrill are secured. Nonetheless, be sure to get it before him, if only to have it as a small foothold. We will also have the Forodwaith and Gundabad in the North, but that's a long way to go for HQs like Rohan. Unforunately, though, Redhorn will be useless as a crossing point unless we own both Hollin and the Dimrill, which is unlikely as that'd mean completely boxing in Moria.
Thrawn: That was the first impression that I got too, but I'm not so sure now that I've talked to him a bit. I certainly don't expect him to be incompetent, but I don't think he has the experience to make sure he doesn't expose himself at all. My guess is that he's skilled in theory, but lacking in practice. So of course use caution as always, but keep an eye out for openings.
HQs: Sounds good.
yes sir general sir!
I can't believe I had the same awful signature for nearly 8 years. Sorry for disappearing for 2 months, life happened for a bit.
{JAMMERS! -GOOD- ONLY!} So, updates! I'm going to start from the beginning again, just to make sure everything gets put down neatly.
First off, it looks like all HQs are going to start fully generated. That means that we can all use every one of our units right off the bat, but it also means that our raids on the different sub-HQs are going to meet much more resistance earlier on, and won't be able to limit their troops as well. Second, these are our opponents, along with my suspicions of what they'll do:
Moria/Goblin-town, MM (and Thrawn, I think): MM has made most of his plans pretty clear now. He's intent on capturing the High Pass, and I don't believe he'll give up until he owns it (even at the cost of missed opportunites). Let's use this to our advantage. Expect about three thousand Goblins going to the Gladden Fields on the first day, and nine thousand to the High Pass. I haven't been able to gather quite as much about Moria, but there isn't a whole lot he can do there. It looks like he'll be putting a little more emphasis on Hollin than the Dimrill Dale, though, so expect ten thousand troops to Dimrill and about fourteen to Hollin. Beyond these first-day moves (which hopefully he won't get past too quickly, with our troops), I expect general expansion from him, without too much focus on individual key regions. Keep in mind that he likes tanks and Trolls, so bring some artillery if you can if you're going to fight him.
Dol Guldur/Gundabad, Tuvok: Like MM, I'm guessing that he'll try to expand as quickly as possible in every direction, but I'm also guessing that he'll put more focus on Central Mirkwood and probably Angmar. If my memory serves me right, he'll have a lot of Trolls and heavy infantry.
Rhun/Khand, Thrawn: Since Thrawn's new, I sadly don't have much to go off of for him. However, using my top-notch Sherlock Holmes deduction skills, I've got a few ideas. Based upon a few things, including his username, the way he talks, and just my general first impression of him (in other words, I have absolutely nothing of any weight to back up my suspicions ), my guess is that he'll be quite aggressive. Expect him to expand as fast as possible, and he may even attack the Iron Hills right from the get-go. However, despite this aggression, he doesn't appear to have a whole lot of tactical experience (based upon his conversations in the LotR Cafe, so I actually have something to back this up with ). Putting these two traits together, there's a good chance that he'll be somewhat reckless in his movements. When fighting him, stand strong against his attacks, but keep some troops and an eye out for any openings he gives you. Once you find one, strike hard and fast, and either his army will cave in upon itself or he'll leave the attacked troops to destruction.
Isengard/Dunland, CC (and maybe MM): CC is probably our most experienced opponent (though I never did get to fight him), but also the most orthodox. That's not to say that fighting him will be any easier, though. His Dunlendings will probably move straight to Tharbad and Hollin, while most of his Uruk-hai will go for the West Emnet. A few, however, may actually try to strike Andrast, though I'm not so sure about that. As I said, I never got to fight him, but I have gathered a few things. In combat, he will know how to respond to your moves, so don't expect victory to come easily even if you manage to get the upper-hand on him. But while he will be crafty in his attacks, he will also be relatively conventional (at least compared to others). Watch yourself, and make sure you don't leave yourself exposed.
Mordor/Minas Morgul, Shamrock: Unfortunately, I don't have much experience with Shamrock. My suspicions, though, tell me that his Minas Morgul troops will move to Osgiliath and whatever lies southwards, while Mordor will split between eastern Rohan and Osgiliath. He'll probably leave the North and East to others.
Harad/Umbar, MLB: MLB I should know well, though I don't. Despite that, my guess is that Harad will move north, probably to Osgiliath, but maybe Lebennin too. Umbar will probably attack somewhere on Gondor's southern coast, though he may take inspiration from Rex and attack the Grey Havens or some other place in Eriador.
To summarize, our plan is to hold back Evil's expansion. Focus on the bottleneck regions and stop the enemy there. The few border-regions we have, the more concentrated our troops will be and the few places we can fail. Because Erebor will be focusing solely on Gundabad at first, most of you will be outnumbered, but don't panic. With most of the battles you'll be in, your goal isn't so much to defeat the enemy as it is to simply stand in their way. You don't need to win, you just can't lose. And if you find that you're not well prepared against the enemy, or simply that your troops won't be able to hold on much longer, let us know here as soon as you can. Tell us where you're in trouble, what you're against, and what you need, and we'll get it to you. Some armies will be less pressured than others and should be able to send reinforcements if needed. The key to the plan working is communication and cooperation. Don't wait to ask for help until it's too late, and don't pull troops from other places to stay alive unless that's the only option. Chances are, somebody's got a better way to deal with your problem, has less of a need for the troops, or is simply closer. Now, onto the details! This is going HQ by HQ, with a few sub-HQs under their own section (due to having completely different focuses than their parent-HQ):
Erebor/Iron Hills, myself/LB: The Mountain will be acting as the invasion force for the general operation. Our first target will be Gundabad, along with the Forodwaith. Personally, I'll be taking thirteen thousand troops directly to Gundabad. My goal there is to overwhelm and capture it as quickly as possible. Hopefully thirteen thousand will be overkill, so that I can send some as reinforcements to other places, but I'm not counting on that being the case. LB, I'm going to have you take five thousand troops from the Iron Hills straight to the Forodwaith to capture it, then bring a couple hundred to the Withered Heath to secure while leaving the last two thousand or so at the Hills themselves as reinforcements or defense should Thrawn invade. We can re-distribute our troops later, but at first I need you to handle the Iron Hills' movements while I control Erebor to keep things simple (mainly because getting two users to fight to same battles in tandem is just going to make things more difficult for us). Once you capture the Forodwaith, I'll either have you reinforce me at Gundabad, or else go to help someone else (likely somewhere in Eriador).
Dale, 8L: You'll be holding the eastern front and watching our backs while you're at it. You'll mostly be facing Rhun, but probably Dol Guldur and maybe even Mordor too. I need you to move southwards as quickly as possible, covering as much of Rhovanion as you can. You're taking Celduin (and Esgaroth of course) along with any other region to the south that you can beat Evil to (which unfortunately won't be many). Should Thrawn meet you in Celduin, don't get held up there. Leave just enough troops to deal with him, but send as many as you can further south. Besides that, attack any nearby region that's left exposed, and then you may be sent as reinforcements somewhere when the time comes (perhaps the Iron Hills if Thrawn invades, but more likely somewhere against Dol Guldur or Mordor).
Bree/Rivendell, EE: As I said before, you'll probably have one of the hardest jobs here. But remember, most of your battles you don't need to win, you just need to make sure the enemy doesn't expand uncontested. Specifically, you'll have at least three different fronts, and probably five separate battles. I'd recommend sending two thousand Elves to the High Pass and five thousand to Hollin (leaving five hundred at Rivendell). You need to contest both of these regions and make sure the enemy doesn't get past them too quickly. The Beornings should take over for you at the High Pass after a day or two, but you'll need to keep MM from claiming it until they get there. Fortunately, should Eregion fall to the combined attacks of Moria and Dunland, it isn't your last defense. Through expansion by land, the next target is Rivendell itself (though obviously that should be avoided). Bree will need to split its forces between Tharbad and the Angmar area. Tharbad first, though. Hold the enemy at Tharbad, and most of your southern lands should remain safe (assuming the enemy doesn't get too crafty). While a few troops will need to go to the North Downs and Lone Lands, you just need to hold Tuvok back for a short amount of time. Ideally, his troops in Angmar will pull back to reinforce Gundabad, and then later LB can take some Dwarves down to assist you either there or somewhere else. Try not to spend to many troops on securing the local regions, but also don't leave your coast too exposed until MLB's navy is confirmed to be engaged elsewhere.
Beornings, 8L: First priority is to keep MM busy at the High Pass and Gladden Fields. Move troops immediately to both of these regions as needed to deal with him, but also try to capture the Upper Vales of the Anduin (and lower, if you can/if Lothlorien doesn't get it). There's a chance that you may also need to come up to Gundabad, but hopefully not.
Lothlorien, Rex: Keep Moria from expanding beyond the Dimrill Dale. You should also capture Celebrant and the lower Vales of the Anduin, but frustrating MM's advancements is your first priority. If things go well, you may get to go reinforce Rohan, but that won't be until later.
Mirkwood, Rex: You'll need to keep Dol Guldur busy. Get Central Mirkwood, obviously, but from there you'll need to go around Dol Guldur to move southwards. You'll also be a backup for both the eastern and western fronts, so we may call on you if 8L somehow gets overwhelmed.
Edoras/Fangorn, LA: You'll also have a hard job. First priority is to secure the West Emnet and set up a defensive there so that CC can't expand eastwards. You may also have to keep Mordor in check in the East, so keep an eye on Shamrock's movements. Be sure to grab a few regions to your east, including Anorien, Nindalf/Noman Lands, and maybe the Emyn Muil. If things go badly for Lothlorien, your Ents will likely be the first ones we call on.
Minas Tirith/Dol Amroth, LB: Just hold out for us, and we'll get aid to you eventually. Don't worry about going on the offensive, but focus on keeping you three/four enemy HQs back. Try to set up a defense at Pelargir and Osgiliath, as those will be the easiest places to hold. Fortunately, you have the advantage with these two regions. You've got a one-day lead on Minas Morgul going to Osgiliath from Minas Tirith, and a two-day lead on Harad to Pelargir from Dol Amroth. Don't forget to send some troops to Andrast in case CC attacks your backside, and make sure that Anorien gets secured by either you or Rohan. You might also want a small navy to offset the threat of Umbar.
And I believe that should be all. Again, keep tabs on this topic, and don't hesitate to pass any information on. The key to our success is communication and cooperation. If you have any struggles, let us know here and we can try to do something about it. Also make sure that when we start you get your first moves out as early as possible, as that could make the difference in a few of these battles.
I was unaware I had ents. their language is not a fish ent.
(anyone get it?)
Yep, you do. Fangorn is Edoras' sub-HQ, which means that you've got ten thousand MWE of Entish troops at your disposal. Use them wisely.
Yes, though I think you could've pulled it off better, if you replaced "fish" with something more relevant.
{JAMMERS! -GOOD- ONLY!}MM: The idea is that he won't be able to get to Redhorn. He will try to capture it, but I don't think he'll get to that until either Hollin or the Dimrill are secured. Nonetheless, be sure to get it before him, if only to have it as a small foothold. We will also have the Forodwaith and Gundabad in the North, but that's a long way to go for HQs like Rohan. Unforunately, though, Redhorn will be useless as a crossing point unless we own both Hollin and the Dimrill, which is unlikely as that'd mean completely boxing in Moria.
Thrawn: That was the first impression that I got too, but I'm not so sure now that I've talked to him a bit. I certainly don't expect him to be incompetent, but I don't think he has the experience to make sure he doesn't expose himself at all. My guess is that he's skilled in theory, but lacking in practice. So of course use caution as always, but keep an eye out for openings.
{JAMMERS! -GOOD- ONLY!} Thrawn: And how many battles have you fought?
Again, don't let Thrawn trap you at Celduin. Keep moving southwards. Also be sure to bring some sort of shocktroopers or other offensive units with you to take advantage of any openings he gives you.
{JAMMERS! -GOOD- ONLY!} So, updates! I'm going to start from the beginning again, just to make sure everything gets put down neatly.
First off, it looks like all HQs are going to start fully generated. That means that we can all use every one of our units right off the bat, but it also means that our raids on the different sub-HQs are going to meet much more resistance earlier on, and won't be able to limit their troops as well. Second, these are our opponents, along with my suspicions of what they'll do:
Moria/Goblin-town, MM (and Thrawn, I think): MM has made most of his plans pretty clear now. He's intent on capturing the High Pass, and I don't believe he'll give up until he owns it (even at the cost of missed opportunites). Let's use this to our advantage. Expect about three thousand Goblins going to the Gladden Fields on the first day, and nine thousand to the High Pass. I haven't been able to gather quite as much about Moria, but there isn't a whole lot he can do there. It looks like he'll be putting a little more emphasis on Hollin than the Dimrill Dale, though, so expect ten thousand troops to Dimrill and about fourteen to Hollin. Beyond these first-day moves (which hopefully he won't get past too quickly, with our troops), I expect general expansion from him, without too much focus on individual key regions. Keep in mind that he likes tanks and Trolls, so bring some artillery if you can if you're going to fight him.
Dol Guldur/Gundabad, Tuvok: Like MM, I'm guessing that he'll try to expand as quickly as possible in every direction, but I'm also guessing that he'll put more focus on Central Mirkwood and probably Angmar. If my memory serves me right, he'll have a lot of Trolls and heavy infantry.
Rhun/Khand, Thrawn: Since Thrawn's new, I sadly don't have much to go off of for him. However, using my top-notch Sherlock Holmes deduction skills, I've got a few ideas. Based upon a few things, including his username, the way he talks, and just my general first impression of him (in other words, I have absolutely nothing of any weight to back up my suspicions ), my guess is that he'll be quite aggressive. Expect him to expand as fast as possible, and he may even attack the Iron Hills right from the get-go. However, despite this aggression, he doesn't appear to have a whole lot of tactical experience (based upon his conversations in the LotR Cafe, so I actually have something to back this up with ). Putting these two traits together, there's a good chance that he'll be somewhat reckless in his movements. When fighting him, stand strong against his attacks, but keep some troops and an eye out for any openings he gives you. Once you find one, strike hard and fast, and either his army will cave in upon itself or he'll leave the attacked troops to destruction.
Isengard/Dunland, CC (and maybe MM): CC is probably our most experienced opponent (though I never did get to fight him), but also the most orthodox. That's not to say that fighting him will be any easier, though. His Dunlendings will probably move straight to Tharbad and Hollin, while most of his Uruk-hai will go for the West Emnet. A few, however, may actually try to strike Andrast, though I'm not so sure about that. As I said, I never got to fight him, but I have gathered a few things. In combat, he will know how to respond to your moves, so don't expect victory to come easily even if you manage to get the upper-hand on him. But while he will be crafty in his attacks, he will also be relatively conventional (at least compared to others). Watch yourself, and make sure you don't leave yourself exposed.
Mordor/Minas Morgul, Shamrock: Unfortunately, I don't have much experience with Shamrock. My suspicions, though, tell me that his Minas Morgul troops will move to Osgiliath and whatever lies southwards, while Mordor will split between eastern Rohan and Osgiliath. He'll probably leave the North and East to others.
Harad/Umbar, MLB: MLB I should know well, though I don't. Despite that, my guess is that Harad will move north, probably to Osgiliath, but maybe Lebennin too. Umbar will probably attack somewhere on Gondor's southern coast, though he may take inspiration from Rex and attack the Grey Havens or some other place in Eriador.
To summarize, our plan is to hold back Evil's expansion. Focus on the bottleneck regions and stop the enemy there. The few border-regions we have, the more concentrated our troops will be and the few places we can fail. Because Erebor will be focusing solely on Gundabad at first, most of you will be outnumbered, but don't panic. With most of the battles you'll be in, your goal isn't so much to defeat the enemy as it is to simply stand in their way. You don't need to win, you just can't lose. And if you find that you're not well prepared against the enemy, or simply that your troops won't be able to hold on much longer, let us know here as soon as you can. Tell us where you're in trouble, what you're against, and what you need, and we'll get it to you. Some armies will be less pressured than others and should be able to send reinforcements if needed. The key to the plan working is communication and cooperation. Don't wait to ask for help until it's too late, and don't pull troops from other places to stay alive unless that's the only option. Chances are, somebody's got a better way to deal with your problem, has less of a need for the troops, or is simply closer. Now, onto the details! This is going HQ by HQ, with a few sub-HQs under their own section (due to having completely different focuses than their parent-HQ):
Erebor/Iron Hills, myself/LB: The Mountain will be acting as the invasion force for the general operation. Our first target will be Gundabad, along with the Forodwaith. Personally, I'll be taking thirteen thousand troops directly to Gundabad. My goal there is to overwhelm and capture it as quickly as possible. Hopefully thirteen thousand will be overkill, so that I can send some as reinforcements to other places, but I'm not counting on that being the case. LB, I'm going to have you take five thousand troops from the Iron Hills straight to the Forodwaith to capture it, then bring a couple hundred to the Withered Heath to secure while leaving the last two thousand or so at the Hills themselves as reinforcements or defense should Thrawn invade. We can re-distribute our troops later, but at first I need you to handle the Iron Hills' movements while I control Erebor to keep things simple (mainly because getting two users to fight to same battles in tandem is just going to make things more difficult for us). Once you capture the Forodwaith, I'll either have you reinforce me at Gundabad, or else go to help someone else (likely somewhere in Eriador).
Dale, 8L: You'll be holding the eastern front and watching our backs while you're at it. You'll mostly be facing Rhun, but probably Dol Guldur and maybe even Mordor too. I need you to move southwards as quickly as possible, covering as much of Rhovanion as you can. You're taking Celduin (and Esgaroth of course) along with any other region to the south that you can beat Evil to (which unfortunately won't be many). Should Thrawn meet you in Celduin, don't get held up there. Leave just enough troops to deal with him, but send as many as you can further south. Besides that, attack any nearby region that's left exposed, and then you may be sent as reinforcements somewhere when the time comes (perhaps the Iron Hills if Thrawn invades, but more likely somewhere against Dol Guldur or Mordor).
Bree/Rivendell, EE: As I said before, you'll probably have one of the hardest jobs here. But remember, most of your battles you don't need to win, you just need to make sure the enemy doesn't expand uncontested. Specifically, you'll have at least three different fronts, and probably five separate battles. I'd recommend sending two thousand Elves to the High Pass and five thousand to Hollin (leaving five hundred at Rivendell). You need to contest both of these regions and make sure the enemy doesn't get past them too quickly. The Beornings should take over for you at the High Pass after a day or two, but you'll need to keep MM from claiming it until they get there. Fortunately, should Eregion fall to the combined attacks of Moria and Dunland, it isn't your last defense. Through expansion by land, the next target is Rivendell itself (though obviously that should be avoided). Bree will need to split its forces between Tharbad and the Angmar area. Tharbad first, though. Hold the enemy at Tharbad, and most of your southern lands should remain safe (assuming the enemy doesn't get too crafty). While a few troops will need to go to the North Downs and Lone Lands, you just need to hold Tuvok back for a short amount of time. Ideally, his troops in Angmar will pull back to reinforce Gundabad, and then later LB can take some Dwarves down to assist you either there or somewhere else. Try not to spend to many troops on securing the local regions, but also don't leave your coast too exposed until MLB's navy is confirmed to be engaged elsewhere.
Beornings, 8L: First priority is to keep MM busy at the High Pass and Gladden Fields. Move troops immediately to both of these regions as needed to deal with him, but also try to capture the Upper Vales of the Anduin (and lower, if you can/if Lothlorien doesn't get it). There's a chance that you may also need to come up to Gundabad, but hopefully not.
Lothlorien, Rex: Keep Moria from expanding beyond the Dimrill Dale. You should also capture Celebrant and the lower Vales of the Anduin, but frustrating MM's advancements is your first priority. If things go well, you may get to go reinforce Rohan, but that won't be until later.
Mirkwood, Rex: You'll need to keep Dol Guldur busy. Get Central Mirkwood, obviously, but from there you'll need to go around Dol Guldur to move southwards. You'll also be a backup for both the eastern and western fronts, so we may call on you if 8L somehow gets overwhelmed.
Edoras/Fangorn, LA: You'll also have a hard job. First priority is to secure the West Emnet and set up a defensive there so that CC can't expand eastwards. You may also have to keep Mordor in check in the East, so keep an eye on Shamrock's movements. Be sure to grab a few regions to your east, including Anorien, Nindalf/Noman Lands, and maybe the Emyn Muil. If things go badly for Lothlorien, your Ents will likely be the first ones we call on.
Minas Tirith/Dol Amroth, LB: Just hold out for us, and we'll get aid to you eventually. Don't worry about going on the offensive, but focus on keeping you three/four enemy HQs back. Try to set up a defense at Pelargir and Osgiliath, as those will be the easiest places to hold. Fortunately, you have the advantage with these two regions. You've got a one-day lead on Minas Morgul going to Osgiliath from Minas Tirith, and a two-day lead on Harad to Pelargir from Dol Amroth. Don't forget to send some troops to Andrast in case CC attacks your backside, and make sure that Anorien gets secured by either you or Rohan. You might also want a small navy to offset the threat of Umbar.
And I believe that should be all. Again, keep tabs on this topic, and don't hesitate to pass any information on. The key to our success is communication and cooperation. If you have any struggles, let us know here and we can try to do something about it. Also make sure that when we start you get your first moves out as early as possible, as that could make the difference in a few of these battles.
{JAMMERS! -Good- ONLY!} Seriously? You have no specific orders for me, again?
Moria: I believe that 8legos will be seizing the Dimrill Dale ASAP. MM will take the High Pass almost instantly, and it will be a very long battle to defeat him there. If Bree/Rivendell can keep him from expanding to the west, he won't be going anywhere.
Dol Guldur: Take Central Mirkwood and fortify it. Eventually, Dale and Lothlorien will be able to help there as well.
Rhun: I think that if I can weather the storm of Easterlings in the Iron Hills, I can launch a successful counter-attack, perhaps capturing regions all the way to Dorwinion on the doorstep of Rhun.
Khand: I expect Khandish forces to mainly aid Thrawn's Easterlings, but I wouldn't be surprised if they show up in Gondor as well.
Isengard: I hope that Rohan will keep them contained long enough for me to seize everything south of Ered Nimrais. From there, I should be able to hold him off.
Dunland: The Wild Men will probably head north at the start and keep Bree a hard time.
Mordor: Shamrock is going to hit Gondor hard and fast, so I'll need to either stay in Minas Tirith and the surrounding regions until the battles end or move quickly to build a force to rival his. He'll have 30,000 easily accessible MWE from the start, whereas I will only have 20,000 in Minas Tirith. MLB will be keeping Dol Amroth busy in the south.
Harad: I'll have to contain MLB in Harondor or Poros. Poros would be a best-case scenario, but Harondor is more likely.
Umbar: MLB is going to harass me, most likely. I will use the majority of Dol Amroth's forces to counter Umbar's navy.
{JAMMERS! -GOOD- ONLY!} Yes I do! They're in there! Look under Erebor.
Moria: We don't need to necessarily capture the High Pass, we just need to make sure MM doesn't capture it. If we keep him busy there, that'll force more of his troops to move in and assist. That's the idea.
Rhun: We'll see what Thrawn gives us. For now, however, you're job is to secure the Forodwaith. Let 8L take care of Rhun. After the Forodwaith is taken, you'll probably be reassigned to either help him or EE.
Khand: That's what I expect too. Depending on how much Evil works together, Thrawn will either use Khand for his own purposes, or else to assist against Gondor or Rohan.
Gondorian enemies: Your best bet is going to lie in defending Osgiliath and Pelargir, and maybe Cair Andros or another northern crossing (but hopefully Rohan will be able to take care of that part). Both/all of these locations let you use the Anduin as a defense, and should be easy to set up fortifications in (especially with your head start). Don't push yourself and try to take Harondor or Poros (though, just for clarification, Harondor is on the other side of Poros). If you do that, well, first of all they'll beat you there. And second, unless you hold South Ithilien too, you'll be leaving your backside open to Minas Morgul. You're better off guarding the crossings at Osgiliath and Pelargir, and hoping that the Anduin proves to be a sufficient wall until you have a chance to strike back.
{JAMMERS! -GOOD- ONLY!} Thrawn: And how many battles have you fought?
Again, don't let Thrawn trap you at Celduin. Keep moving southwards. Also be sure to bring some sort of shocktroopers or other offensive units with you to take advantage of any openings he gives you.
{JAMMERS! -GOOD- ONLY!} Sounds good, although I was kinda hoping Mirkwood would be able to have more regions than just Central Mirkwood. If it's better that way, though, I won't complain.
{JAMMERS! -Forces Of GOOD- ONLY!} I was just going of of KK's plan, if you want a reagion like wilderland or VOA, you can have it, I was just thinking that most of Mirkwoods forces would be needed defending against Dol Guldor. And this plan is only for the beginning and I'm sure that you and mirkwood will end up with several regions.
Oh, you know, the usual. Just devising ingenious plans that will result in the downfall of Evil within a matter of weeks.
Although I must say, evil seems to have been conversing a lot recently. >_>
I was originally going to leave all of this unjammed, but my Sherlock Holmes deductions have gone way overboard and should probably be jammed, just in case. But you know, this gives me an idea. Everyone present (of Good, that is), please at least read the last paragraph of my jammers, after the big gap (and probably the last bit right before it too ).
{JAMMERS! -GOOD- ONLY!} Meh, most of it's gibberish (at least if you're referring to their council topic). I count ten jammed posts: four by MM, four by Shamrock, one by MLB, one by Thrawn. Based upon response patterns and unjammed information, it doesn't look like that have anything substantial. I'm guessing MM proposed some basic plan or asked what everyone planned to do, and Shamrock, MLB, and Thrawn each acknowledged the general plan or else stated what their starting plans were. Whatever it was, they didn't have anything too in-depth because Shamrock later suggested (after most of the gibberish ) that they do more planning. MM was the only one to reply to (and only by agreeing to the idea). Shamrock had one jammed post soon after his suggestion to plan more, my guess would be to suggest some slightly more detailed strategy. If that's the case, then it probably wasn't in full, though. It was probably an introduction to a plan, or else something related to it that'd have follow-up posts. I say that because MM responded with something in jammers (my guess is to ask where "it" was) and Shamrock said he forgot about it (again, there's a lot of unjammed stuff). Shamrock did have another stray jammed post, but it can't have been anything too important because it had no responses, and MM later asked again if Shamrock forgot about it. The rest of Evil really doesn't seem to be too involved in planning, so it appears that whatever plans they might have is only a half-hearted strategy for a few members.
Looking elsewhere, MM posted his plan (presumably just for his HQ, for his members) in Moria, but sadly the plan itself is jammed. He's got follow-up jammers to his members (Shamrock and Thrawn) also, but these are almost certainly just further clarification for Moria's starting plan (a few actually say that they're updates, most are addressed to Moria). I see one jammer by MM in Harad, with no response (posted two days ago). It could be him asking MLB to help out with planning in their council topic, but I doubt that as I don't think MM would bother jamming such a short request that doesn't mean much to outsiders. Knowing MM and how jammers like that usually are, it's probably a request for troops somewhere, maybe a suggestion on what Harad should do. MM and Tuvok look like they've got some starting plans for Dol Guldur (and probably Gundabad) in their HQ. It's just MM and Tuvok involved, though, starting right after MM was accepted into the HQ. Plus, MM requested to see Tuvok's troop list so that he can start "formulating strategies" (probably actual battle-plans), though Tuvok seems hesitant to publish them. So they've got some sort of goal planned out there, but it's only for Dol Guldur. Rhun also looks like it has basic plans. 8L posted some jammers there, but based upon the fact that he's part of Good, that he said the post is twenty-thousand characters long (inside the spoiler, before he actually said they were jammed), and that (I think) he offered to help Thrawn with units, my guess is that that's the unit list. That leaves four jammers by MM (who started it), and two by Thrawn. MM replied to his own jammer that was in response to Thrawn's second reply, meaning that he either had something to correct in his post before (which must've been inconsequential, because Thrawn never replied), or else he had thought of a better plan overnight. Coincedentally, this amendment preceded MM's starting jammer in Harad by about an hour and a half (not as close as I should like, but still not too far). Could these two be connected? Unfortunately, as mentioned before, Thrawn didn't respond to the last jammer in Rhun (despite having posts there afterwards), so no extra information from that. He doesn't seem like the kind of person who posts just to acknowledge things though, so MM may have very well just told him about a new plan of his (not asking his opinion on it or anything else).
But about that conspiracy with Harad. Evil's council, Dol Guldur, Moria, Rhun, and Harad are the only evil topics with jammers in them. We already know that Shamrock's the one taking care of planning in their council, so we can ignore posts there. MM's the one who appears to be doing to most coordinating with plans, as he's involved with every jammed conversation of Evil's. Additionally, both his Moria and Dol Guldur conversations can be safely attributed to local plans, as there aren't any major discrepancies in response pattern, and MM's in both HQs. That leaves only Rhun and Harad where MM's involved where he doesn't need to be. He's clearly plotting or at least clarifying plans with Thrawn at Rhun, but his post at Harad is out of the blue. Of course, his post at Rhun is just as random, really, but at least we've got other information about there. If MM continues to go to Evil HQs with jammed posts, then it's most likely a coincidence, but it's also possible that these plans are connected. So if they are, what would be the connection (and I'm just talking to myself here )? I think it can be safe to assume that if these posts are connected, then Rhun and Harad's starting moves (probably attacks) will be (in part) coordinated, if not combined. But anyways, onto the options. For the most part, Evil doesn't seem to be concerned with situations in the South (at least Shamrock isn't), nor should they be since they have double the troops down there. Option A is that MM wants Rhun to join Harad to crush Gondor right off the bat, though I somewhat doubt that because honestly, it's a waste of troops, and MM probably would've talked to Mordor about it too. Option B, the more likely one, is that MM wants Harad to move North and aid Rhun. But if MM wants Harad to go straight to aiding Rhun, he must either suspect that Rhun's going to be pounded from the get-go, or else they're planning an invasion (which I find more likely, as MM seems to plan more for the ideal than the actual). The next question that needs to be answered, then, is where are they going to invade? Their only real targets would be Erebor, the Iron Hills, Dale, or maybe Mirkwood. Given that we already asserted that Thrawn might invade the Iron Hills (in my earlier suspicions of enemy plans), my guess is that MM is orchestrating a joint attack there. I know, there's really not a lot of evidence to support such a conclusion, but it seems like a possibility that Harad and Rhun might invade the Iron Hills early on. But sadly, MLB hasn't responded to MM's post in Harad, so we don't even know if Harad will or won't comply. Do you guys think this is something we should take into account for our eastern plans? Or should I stop overanalyzing stuff?
And onto my other thought. What I would like to propose is the Initiative for the Divination of Enemy Arrangements, also known as my IDEA. The details? Each person will be assigned to watch a predetermined set of posts. This could be posts in regions in a certain section of Middle-earth (or a specific list of regions), or posts by specific opposing users. Either way, the goal is to monitor all enemy movements. As often as necessary, users will post here reporting any notable happenings that they find, including troop movements and jammers. In turn, I (or perhaps someone else, but it'd probably end up being me) will keep track of all of the reports, analyze jammer context and troops movements, and try to figure out what Evil intends to do before they actually do it. We might even be able to publish our unclassified findings in a new LotR Newspaper. So, what are people's thoughts? And would you all be willing to take part?
Oh, you know, the usual. Just devising ingenious plans that will result in the downfall of Evil within a matter of weeks.
Although I must say, evil seems to have been conversing a lot recently. >_>
I've only seen around two jammers in the CETA. I doubt they'll be ready when the RP starts. Funny, it was the inverse at the start of the FA RP. Evil was ready to go, and good had no idea what to do.
