Fall of the Necromancer – Scenario 11: Capture of the Grey Wizard

Having freed Thráin, Gandalf continues his search for the evil that lurks within the depths of Dol Guldur. As Gandalf and Thráin venture further into the seemingly-deserted fortress, they begin to sense they are not alone within its crumbling walls, and that the evil within is far greater than Gandalf had ever anticipated.

Playthrough: 1v1

Played on: Friday 6 March 2026

Scenario: Fall of the Necromancer (2021) #11 (out of 13)

Ruleset / profiles: 7th edition (2024 War of the Rohirrim Edition)

Participants

Good (2 models)	Evil (20 models)
Gandalf the Grey	The Necromancer
Thráin the Broken	Azog
	6 Hunter Orcs on Fell Wargs
	12 Hunter Orcs

Objectives

The game lasts until one side has completed their objective.

The Good side wins if both Gandalf and Thráin escape the board via the western board edge.

The Evil side wins if Gandalf is slain.

If Gandalf escapes, but Thráin is slain, the game is a Draw.

Special rules

A Flash of Light – During the first turn of the game, all Evil models are treated as being under the effect of the Immobilise Magical Power {‘Transfix’ under the new ruleset}.

Bring the Bridge Crashing Down – During the Move phase, if Gandalf is on the bridge he may attempt to smite it. Roll a D6 – on a 4+, Gandalf has blasted a section out from the bridge. Mark the bridge to show a 1″ wide chasm spanning the bridge directly behind Gandalf’s base. Models wishing to pass the chasm will need to pass a Jump test.

The General of Dol Guldur – If Azog moves off the board, then the Evil player will instead bring the Necromancer into play on any 2D6 roll of a 7+ rather than a 12.

The Legions of Dol Guldur – At the end of each Evil Move phase, the Evil player rolls 2 D6 and consults the chart below to see what reinforcements enter that turn. These Reinforcements may enter from any point on the northern, southern or eastern board edge via the rules for Reinforcements. The only exception is the Necromancer, who, when he arrives, may be placed anywhere on the board at least 3″ away from Gandalf or Thráin. The Necromancer may not move any further that turn after he has arrived.

Should your roll on the chart cause you to exceed the number of models you have remaining to enter the board, instead treat the result as a 12. Once the Necromancer has entered the battlefield, do not make any further rolls on the chart.

2 D6	Reinforcements
2	No reinforcements this turn
3-6	D3 Hunter Orcs
7-9	1 Hunter Orc on Fell Warg
10-11	D3 Hunter Orcs on Fell Warg
12	The Necromancer

Campaign bonus(Good) – Thráin may re-roll failed Courage tests {For the new edition we ruled this as also including Intelligence tests, considering that is what is now tested for his Shattered Spirit special rule}.

Pre-game tactics and thoughts

I think Gandalf and Thráin just need to run off the board as fast as possible. A Terrifying Aura in the first turn cast on 2 Will should help, and the other turns a mixture of Sorcerous Blast, Collapse Rocks and Transfix would likely be most helpful.

The game

The game is played on a 2’x3′ board, representing the ruins of Dol Guldur. There area within 6″ of the western edge of the board is a chasm, and there should be a 3″ wide bridge spanning it to give Gandalf and Thráin a means of escape.

The Good player deploys Gandalf and Thráin in base contact with each other anywhere within 12″ of the eastern board edge. The Evil player then deploys Azog and 4 Hunter Orcs anywhere within 6″ of the eastern board edge. The remaining Evil models will become available as the game goes on.

1G. -> Good begins. Gandalf uses 2 Will and successfully casts Terrifying Aura. Gandalf and Thráin run the full 6″ towards the bridge. We were a bit unsure what the ‘A Flash of Light’ rule meant for the Evil Reinforcements in the first turn. But we ruled it so that Reinforcements may arrive, but not Move during this first turn. 1 Hunter Orc on Fell Warg enters from the northern board edge, close to the bridge.

2G. -> Good begins. Azog calls a Heroic March. Gandalf uses 3 Will to try and Transfix Azog and rolls a 6. Azog uses all his Will, but rolls 2 6’s and gets 2 Will back.

After moving, Gandalf and Thráin are very near the bridge. However, the Hunter Orc on Fell Warg from last turn can block one part of the way, while the newly arrived other Hunter Orc on Fell Warg blocks the other.

3E. -> Evil begins. Gandalf calls a Heroic Move, Azog calls another Heroic March. Gandalf uses 3 Will to Sorcerous Blast the left Warg Rider and kills him. The Warg flees and Thráin can now move past them. Gandalf charges the other Warg Rider. In the Reinforcements phase, two more Hunter Orcs on Fell Warg arrive, coming in from the southern board edge.

In the combat, Gandalf loses from the Warg Rider, but receives no Wounds.

4G. -> Good begins. Azog calls a Heroic Move with his final point of Might. Gandalf counter-calls, but Evil wins the Move off. That is quite unfortunate. Thráin is charged by two Hunter Orcs on Fell Warg and another Hunter Orc on Foot. Gandalf is Charged by Azog and 1 Hunter Orc on Fell Warg. The Terrifying Aura does some work for Gandalf, as the other Orcs fail their Courage test.

In the Reinforcements phase there is yet another Hunter Orc on Fell Warg entering. Thráin is killed, unsurprisingly against 8 Attacks plus a Knockdown bonus going to 16 attacks. Which means the best Good can now hope for is a Draw. Gandalf loses his Fight and takes 2 Wounds.

5E -> Evil begins. This is again most unfortunate. The Evil forces are blocking the bridge, so a Heroic Move by Gandalf won’t do much. It would allow him to cast a spell, but I think his problems are too big and his Might would be better saved for the combat. Besides, Azog still has 2 Will to resist.

The Terrifying Aura again does some work, but his enemies are too numerous. Gandalf calls a Heroic Defence, but takes 4 Wounds, which is precisely enough to go down. Victory for Evil!

Aftermath

Victory for Evil. This means that in the final scenario, Gandalf may not roll to recover from his Paralysed state in the first two turns of the game.

Post-game thoughts

This was … interesting. It really could have gone either way. At the start it seemed Gandalf and Thráin would just run off without ever having to deal with Azog, but with the Reinforcements being Hunter Orcs on Fell Wargs that could enter from any board edge, this did not happen. If Azog failed to resist the Transfix, or had to spend Might to do it, Good would probably have won. If Good had won the Heroic Move roll-off, Good would probably have won. If the Reinforcements rolls were worse, Good would probably have won. And yet, none of that was particularly lucky or unlucky for either side. So based on this one playthrough, this scenario seems weirdly balanced? Or perhaps balanced isn’t really the right word. But it’s not an auto-win or auto-loss for either side, which does make it interesting.

On the other hand, it does make the outcome heavily reliant on a few key dice rolls. There is a good chance Gandalf and Thráin can just escape unhindered. So perhaps it does slightly favour the Good side. Yet, Thráin could fail his Shattered Mind special rule, which would pretty much automatically mean Good wouldn’t be able to win. So it’s a bit of a weird scenario. I liked it thematically, it does feel like a tense pursuit out of Dol Guldur. The terrain and miniatures really help build immersion. Yet because the scenario is so short, the set-up and clean-up time is relatively long…

All in all I would recommend the scenario, but would definitely not rank it among the best. I’d probably rate it 3.5/5 stars.

My opponent also pointed out to me that I could have let Thráin and Gandalf gang up on the lone Hunter Orc on Fell Warg after having Sorcerous Blasted the other. Gandalf could then have called a Heroic Combat and if successful, this would have allowed Gandalf and Thráin another move, onto the bridge. This too, would have likely meant Good would have won. But I still could have lost that fight, or failed to kill, so it wasn’t a given. Using a Heroic Combat for a second Move is something that I hadn’t really considered, I tend to associate this more with extra combats. But that probably would have been the better play. Something to keep in mind for future scenarios!

In the next scenario, Radagast must hurry to save Gandalf from his imprisonment in Dol Guldur: Make Haste to Dol Guldur.