Gandalf watched in awe as the White City of Minas Tirith burned in the distance. The orcs have had their way and the Dark Lord Sauron's will had been done. Gondor had indeed fallen and the West was surely not far behind. Gandalf looked to the west, and there were no signs of the Rohirrim. He looked to the south, and Aragorn had not yet come... He pondered whether there was any hope for Middle-earth afterall as a tear fell from his eye...
Gothmog's laugh echoed off the ruined walls of Minas Tirith, tearing through the air of the Pelennor with magical amplification. The White City was destroyed and the time of the Orc had truly come. But still there was the white wizard to the north. The one last barrier in the way of the hordes of Sauron. The Witch King's orders were plain, do not stop the advance until all defenders of men were dead under the boots of the iron fist of the orc, including the white wizard.
The armies of Mordor advanced with great swirftness. To the north they went in pursuit of the fleeing defenders of the west. Their feet carried them swiftly, as the smell of their impending victory hung in the air. And so it was that they caught the White Wizard and his remaining warriors. It was first the Easterlings that held the defenders of the west in place long enough to allow the Witch King's Horde and the Haradrim army to join the battle.
And as the hordes of Sauron were taking to the battle field, Gandalf rallied the remiaining troops of Gondor. They would not stand, but withdraw further west to meet with the coming armies of Rohan. Perhaps there, maybe even once again at the walls of Helm's Deep, the orcish tide could be turned...
It was at this point that both players mutually decided to end the campaign. Although the War of the Ring was surely not over, this part of it certainly was. Gondor was lost. All that was left were the southern fiefs and Rohan to the north. Beyond that the elven havens might yet hold out. But the war for Gondor, and the Gondor that we have known is indeed gone.
Well, with Mordor gaining the initiative once more, and the armies of the Witch King, the Easterlings, and the Haradrim engaging with my remaining forces, there was really nothing I could do to put my plan into action. There would be no way that I could pick off the armies or Sauron one at a time when I was facing them all at one time!
So, instead of putting the free peoples of Middle-earth through another poorly faught battle (my track record so far in this campaign has been abysmal...), I decided to capitulate. Gondor may be lost, but surely Rohan will stand (well, as long as I am not in command anyway)... In spite of my poor performance, the campaign was quite enjoyable to play, and it certainly added a whole new level of meaning to each table-top game that was played!
The Forces of SauronA headlong charge indeed. Thankfully I could catch those pesky remaining defenders of the west, so my plan worked perfectly. It is certainly a sad day for the world of men, but hey, at least the orcs will have a chance to be in the lime light afterall!
It is worth noting that this campaign could have gone either way even though the cards were stacked in my favour. Certainly the mishap at the Pelennor fields was a great example of that potential. Perhaps if my opponent had made one fewer mistakes, or if the battle at the walls of the white city went a little better for him, it would have been a different story. In any case, the campaign was great fun and I look forward to playing another one!