Oh, one other thing - at time 2:15 in the video of the gameplay, Théoden looks at the two towers on either side of the main gate. In the movie, the camera always brushes past so fast that it has been hard to discern the details of the tops of these towers. The Weta environment showed a strange recess at the back of both tower tops, and these are visible also in the game version, just next to the steps leading to the tower tops. I'm not sure what to make of these - ladders between the gate level and the parapet walk, perhaps?

To answer to your gliterring cave question I beleive there was actually a secret door or a sort, I got my suspicious about 2 things in there.
At the video a bit after when they recovered the axe of helm hammerhand from the box there was a rohirrim guard guarding a narrow passage into somesort of a cave, I could be mistake but that might be 1 way inside the caves who was obstructed when aragorn and the elves fall back to the keep... minute 7.16 or so... my 2nd guess and most right is that there is a secret door on the floor in the main hall thats leads the passage down to the caves as well, thats why aragorn said to barricade the entrance if the uruks found out.

About the main gate

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_POSCdY4YBZo/T ... deep_1.jpg

this helps a bit although a bit blurry.... but yes the towers are slightly higher than the walls and they are a 3 stair steps on each (that interior weird castle top formation on the tower not sure what was that, but they made that way, that U segment

http://www.freewebs.com/areddawn/helmsdeep1.jpg

even not seeing welll hope their 3D model helms... here you go

http://uppix.net/6/e/5/3eb53952c4432a5a ... 54699c.jpg



I hope this helps (the 3D map is not all completed) that is the main structure although they improved it in the end

I expect a good battle from this report.... Although would be more welcome all together as a fight in general.. following step by step the fight was better in my opinion (allow us to focus on reading on the report rather than reading a massive 3000 uruks vs defenders (not saying the 10,000) unless if you have em lol


and in case later on you need a detailed minas tirith map I can toss 2 games pretty much awesome at it :P that 1 already showed and another who allow you to walk through the 1st 3 levels

Galanur Thanks the links were very useful!

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"the same as a duck you must be made of wood"

Just epic beyond all means....

@Galanur, thanks again - a secret door to the caves makes sense, and thanks for pointing out the guard in the back yard. However, if I make a secret entrance, it'll have to do elsewhere since my terrain does not extend quite that far (and there probably were several entrances, as you guessed). As to the U-shaped recesses at the front gate tower backs, ladders to gate level would make sense, should the defenders need to quickly move to the gate (instead of running to the nearest stairs and then back to the gate). Interestingly, the 3D model shows the inner wall arches which are blocked up in the movie Hornburg (and which were missing in the actual game play video).

We'll try to do our best with the battle report when the time comes. I expect that the actual gameplay will be spread over two days - even setting up the terrain and figures (even though we don't have 10,000 uruks - only about 550 uruks & orcs) is bound to take time, and we will combine WotR and SBG rules within the same game.

Feel free to fire away regarding the Minas Tirith gameplay - although that's a terrain I need to heavily compress. It would be beneficial to see the gameplay for ideas about different types of Gondorian houses, and I'm intrigued as to how the levels 2 and 3 continue immediately after the level gates. Again, using the Weta environment as a guide, there must be (steep) ramps after the gates, since the actual gates are much lower than the "street level" on both levels 2 and 3...

Alright tossing out some minas tirith stuff :P

enjoy ^^

http://img248.imageshack.us/img248/209/ ... eftjy0.jpg


http://doc-00-8g-3dwarehouse.googleuser ... ctyp=other

http://i.imgur.com/8Gcpe.jpg

http://www.portfolios.ro/proiecte/big/m ... 025011.jpg

http://www.modelermagic.com/wordpress/w ... TH_001.jpg

hope this helps :P

Brilliant, most helpful, thanks Galanur. Of course, our version will be somewhat smaller than the model in the last picture! I'll be walking the fine line between compressing (i.e. leaving buildings out and shortening distances) and building smaller than scale size - and even using forced perspective tricks (smaller buildings, siege machines and figures in upper levels). Since the Minas Tirith model will be built mainly for model railroad, the scale will be closer to 1:72 than 28mm, but I'll try to find a balance where the battlements don't look oversized for H0 railroad, and yet high enough for the GW figures.

You just need mainly the gate section maybe 2 wall sections and the in couurtyard :P

Yes, we might get by with just the gate and some surrounding walls... but on the other hand, it would also be fun to see how much of the city the evil side can actually conquer - the narrow streets and alleys do not take formations, so it would be figure vs figure fighting all the way to the Citadel. And, in any case, what I need and what I really want differ here quite a lot. I just love the design of the White City, and look forward to building the whole thing. Although the actual construction is still way in the future, this is the preliminary plan:



The outer wall is about 180 cm in diameter at the widest point. The top of the Tower of Ecthelion is at about 160 cm from the gate level.

What are all the red dots?

The red dots mark the possible trebuchet locations; we will probably use 12-14 trebuchets in total, leaving empty (or omitting altogether) at least the tower on the second level just left of the second level gate (it's a leftover from an older version of the plan when the city extended further left in the pic - I had to scale the depth of the model to have it fit into the space I have reserved for it on my model railroad layout).

I'll scratch-build fairly small trebuchets; there is little room on the higher levels for GW trebuchet -sized war machines. I have also plans to use 1:72 medieval catapult crew figures there instead of GW Warriors of Minas Tirith. But all that must wait until I have done Helm's Deep and Isengard first.

I just got onto this thread after reading through the actual campaign and am amazed at how talented you are in EVERY field of this hobby, particularly terrain Keep up the astonishing work

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'You would die before your stroke fell!' ~Legolas

Check out my WIP!

Inspired by the Oldman Willow's thread, here are pics of my Balin's tomb board - made from styrofoam, foamboard and cardboard (plus the well and the tomb from the Mines of Moria box). This was my first terrain, and unfortunately I did not take any work-in-progress shots.

Here are some overview shots; the roof arches can be removed for easier gaming.







And some detail shots from within the tomb:









The board measures about 70 x 70 cm.

that looks just awesome! nice terrain, love the details

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goblin: "people associate me with boogers because i am green"

very cool! Very helpful too

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"the same as a duck you must be made of wood"

It's great to see people getting carried away. Most of us for one reason or another are restricted in some way with any hobby activities.

I'd be interested how much the film images influence you and how much descriptions in the books ?

Does Peter Jackson and the Weta Vision rule the day and should it ?

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Careful with that axe of yours... Dain!

Azog

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I think sometimes the films rule the day. More people have seen the films than have read the books.

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"the same as a duck you must be made of wood"

For me, the Weta vision and the movies are the primary starting point, to be occasionally complemented with things not shown by PJ but described by Tolkien - for example, the small stream at the northern end of the Watcher's pool, or the gate of Isengard, or the stairs & winding road next to the Stair Falls leading up to the Watcher's pool (to be built on my model railroad layout, but without the pool). I agree with Oldman Willow - a lot of people have seen the movies, and even though they might have read the book, it's usually a long ago, and even then, the Weta vision is probably what they now think as the correct, authoritative way the Middle-Eath looks.

That is a fantastic board for Balin's Tomb Extremely realistic and I really commend you on the light shining onto Balin's tomb! Great Work

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'You would die before your stroke fell!' ~Legolas

Check out my WIP!

Amazing amount of detail!