| 12-Aug-06 | Lord of the Rings - Isengard | ||
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LORD OF THE RINGS - voted BEST DISPLAY |
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Dominating the hall was the spectacular Battle for Isengard terrain with its clever bas-relief backdrop made by John Shaw. The public participation games on this terrain were put on by the Lord of the Rings players. This represented the attack on Isengard by the Ents. Saruman had been turned from a wise wizard to the side of evil. Saruman had sent his Orcs to chop down the trees in the ancient forest of Fangorn to feed his furnaces for the making of weapons of war. Incensed by the destruction of the forests, the old tree herders (Ents) had roused and were intent on the complete destruction of Isengard. Four scenarios were on offer for the public to join in. In the first Quickbeam the Ent had to try and stop a group of Orcs from cutting down too many trees. In the second a group of Ents attempted to breach the walls of Isengard, while the Orcs tried to stop them. The third was a more general battle around the base of the mighty tower of Orthanc, with the Ents trying to smash down the aqueduct system. The fourth was the attempt by two Ents to rip down the dam wall and flood the pits of Isengard. The scenery was built big to allow for two games of each of the first three scenarios ad one of the fourth to be played simultaneously. 7 games at once! The scenery was modular. It consisted of ten 600mm x 600mm modules (2' x 2') plus two 1200mm x 600mm modules (4' x 2'). This made a huge layout 14' x 4' (4.2m x 1.2m). The two longer modules spanned a gap between supporting tables as they had a deeper section to allow for some cavernous pits. The tower of Orthanc with amazing detail work took several months of intensive effort by John Shaw to build. Made from foamboard, it was constructed in three sections for ease of transport. When assembled, it is nearly 1.4 metres tall (just over 4' 6"). When placed on the table, it towered above the visitors. |
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Above. The Battle of Bywater in the foreground, with some scenery pieces and then the huge Isengard scenery. |
Above. Looking back from the mountains, past the tower of Orthanc, over the walls to the forest beyond.
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Above. The bridge across the main pit was a key defensive position for the Orcs.
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Above. John Shaw and Jeremy Shannon received Best Display at Games 2006. |
Above. The dam provides the water to turn Saruman's wheels of industry. |
Above. Saruman and Grima on the balcony of Orthanc. |
Above. A game in progress. |
Above. It is a long way from one end of the display to the other. |
Above. A willow Ent heads to toppple an Orcish platform. |
Above. The Tower of Orthance rises high above Isengard (and high above the backdrop too). |
Above. The fight around Othanc in progress. |
Above. An Ent heads across the river on the road to Isengard. |
Above. Defending an aqueduct support tower. |
Above. Orcs gang up on another tree. |
Above. A view of the ford. |
Above. The river winds its way through the open forest. |
Above. A section of wall comes crumbling down . . . |
Above. . . . as two very worried Orcs attempt to seal the breach. |
Above. An Orc Pit Chief organises the defense. |
Above. Fire arrows are dangerous to the Ents. |
Above. The aqueducts take water from the dam to the pits of Isengard. |
Above. An Ent attacks the dam as the Orcs rush to stop it. |
Above. The rickety catapult can be more dangerous to the Orcs than the Ents at times. |
Above. A view towards the dam. |
Above. Orcs rush to surround an Ent. |
Above. Hand made trees by the river |
Above. The snow capped peaks overlook the battlefield. |
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Above. The battle intensifies around the aqueduct. |
Above. The deforestation has made Quickbeam the Ent very angry indeed. |
Above. A view of the tower with the magnificent backdrop. |
Above. Gandalf awaits rescue on top of Orthanc. |
Above. Another one bites the dust. |
 Above. A bunch of Orcs ready to defend the dam. |
Above. Now which way to go? |
Above. Saruman and Grima on the balcony. |
Above. Even a single Orc can chop down a tree. |
Above. Hands up who needs a hair cut. |
Above. Saruman's staff has the powerful spell "Age Rapidly". |
Above. Saruman and Grima on the balcony view the battle. |
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LORD OF THE RINGS SCENERY |
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Many of the Lord of the Rings players at NWA spend time making scenery pieces. Even the young members enjoy this. The Battle of Bywater board by Jeremy Shannon hosts a great scenario for the ultimate battle between the Hobbits and Sharkey's Ruffians. The barricade across the road in front of burnt out Hobbit holes attractively sets off the well painted figures. Various home made trees could be seen, including one with a space between the boughs to house a spider, a wood elf or any other creature. It could be a great location for an ambush by one of Faramir's Rangers. A giant Orc siege tower made by John Shaw posed in front of the gates of Minas Tirith. The key part of the walls of this great city of Gondor and a working model ballista were put together by the Leonard family. . |
Above. Even the peaceful Hobbits can be roused to fight when their Shire is threatened. |
Above. The Hobbits barricaded the road at Bywater to defend against the Ruffians. |
Above. Ruffians ready for battle, with whips, daggers and a jug of moonshine. |
Above. The Ruffian culprit caught on security camera outside a burnt out Hobbit hole. |
Above. A working model ballista (minus the sling). |
Above. Siege tower attackes the walls of Minas Tirith. |
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Above. Samwise the Brave. |
Above. Meriadoc Brandybuck (Merry). |
Above. Frodo of the Nine Fingers. |
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Above. Saruman (known as Sharkey to the Hobbits) and the snivelling Grima Wormtongue. |
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Left and above. This tree is designed to take a figure in the boughs of the tree. |
Above. A variey of home made trees. |
